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The Essex Naturalist
Trigonotylus caelestialium (Kirkaldy) (Miridae). This species was recently
added to the British list (Aukema & Nau 1992), having been previously
confused with T. ruficornis. Re-examination of material previously identified as
T. ruficornis shows that both species are present in the county. I have seen
specimens of T. caelestialium from Eastbrookend, TQ58, and from Victoria
Docks, TQ410808. From records made elsewhere in Britain, it seems that T.
ruficornis is the species more likely to occur on old grassland, and T. caelestialium
on recently sown grassland (including monocultures of perennial rye Lolium
perenne). T. caelestialium might therefore be expected to be considerably the
commoner species in the county. However, since T. ruficornis was, until the
recognition of T. caelestialium, regarded as a fairly common species easily
recognised in the field, I have rather few voucher specimens with which to
check the hypothesis.
References
Aukema, B & Nau, B S, 1992. Megalonotus emarginatus (Rey) (Lygaeidae) and Trigonotylus
caelestialium (Kirkaldy) (Miridae) (Hem.-Het.) new to Britain. Entomologist's Monthly
Magazine 128: 11-14
Hawkins, R D, 1989. Orsillus depressus Dallas (Hem., Lygaeidae), and arboreal groundbug new
to Britain. Entomologist's Monthly Magazine 125: 241-242
Woodroffe, G E, 1971. The identity of the British Orius (Wolff) (Hem., Anthocoridae).
Entomologist.
Post 1974 additions to the Bryophyte and Higher Plant Floras of
the Watsonian Vice-Counties of North (vcl9) and
South (vc18) Essex
K J Adams
Dept. Life Sciences, University of East London, EI5 4LZ
Part I: Bryophytes
Two Bryophyte Floras of Essex have been published. That of A J Pettifer (1968)
attempted to catalogue all the herbarium material relating to Essex, and was
supplemented by records made by contemporary bryologists. Some 42 of the new
county records were generated by Eric Saunders (1912 - 1966), who in addition
to being able to paint the most exquisite water colours of insects at actual size,
was adept at spotting some of our smallest species of bryophytes from a standing
position in the field. Tragically, he died shortly after embarking on a programme
of 10km square surveying for the BBS mapping scheme. In 1966 the present
author began a systematic mapping of Essex bryophytes on a 5km sq basis with
all records localised to at least a 1km square. The results of this survey, up until
1973, were summarised in the chapter on the Bryophyte Flora of the county in
Stanley Jermyn's Flora of Essex (1974).