Plant, C.W. (1983) AProvisional Atlas of amphibians and reptiles in Essex. Essex
Biological Records Centres.
Scott, D. (1999) Amphibian and Reptile Report 1998 Essex Naturalist (new series) Essex
Field Club.
Thompson, G. (1999) A wild future for Essex the Essex Biodiversity Action Plan. Essex
County Council and Essex Wildlife Trust.
Green Tiger Beetle Cicindela campestris: records wanted
Jerry Bowdrey Curator of Natural History, Colchester Museums, 14, Ryegate Road,
Colchester COl 1YG email: jerry.bowdrey@colchester.gov.uk Tel: 01206 282936
I am researching into the current distribution of the Green Tiger Beetle (see plate 3
inset) in the county and would be interested to hear from anyone who has seen this
beetle in Essex. Recent records come from Walton-on-Naze and Colchester (J. Bowdrey,
2001), Danbury Common and Linford Sand Pit (Peter Harvey, pers. comm.) and Peter
Hammond, the Club's Coleoptera recorder has kindly provided some early records for
Epping Forest, Grays and Sandon from his database. The beetle frequents sandy areas
with sparse vegetation and flies and runs actively in sunshine from May to July. The
predacious larvae live in vertical burrows in the ground. Please give the usual details of
grid reference, site name date and recorder and any additional information that is
appropriate.
Records can be sent to Jerry Bowdrey by post, email, telephone or via the Essex Field
Club website at www.essexfleldcIub.org.uk/tigerbeetle_survey.htm
All contributions will be acknowledged in any publication.
A bug to watch for ...
Paul Mabbott 49 Endowood Road Sheffield S7 2LY mabbott@blueyonder.co.uk
Cercopis vulnerata Rossi is a froghopper of the family Cercopidae and not uncommon.
Most hoppers are fairly nondescript but this is the only British species which is so
distinctively coloured (see plate 3). Its larval life is spent covered in solidified foam
feeding on sap from plant roots. The adults are seen for only a brief period in late spring
and early summer, resting and mating on the upper parts of various plants,
especially in wooded areas.
Despite being fairly common, there are various aspects of its life history and ecology
which arc unclear - does it have only one food plant, for example? The adult is expected
to emerge in the last two weeks of May and survive only into June but climate change
may have altered this. There are several similar looking species on the continent, at least
one of which is a pest on pines.
Essex Field Club Newsletter No. 41, May 2003
13