8
greater distance, which is the way in which many members of this family (including
Bombylius major) lay their eggs. This behaviour no doubt explains why no eggs have
ever been found from this species. The behaviour has been termed 'sanding'.
If you venture on sand dunes in 1997 keep a look out for this fascinating fly. It is quite
distinctive, resembling the Common Beefly but without spotted wings. The body is hairy,
brown and blackish. Females have paler bands on the abdomen. Males are much darker,
the main part of the abdomen being black bordered by chestnut brown. At the tip there
are two conspicuous white patches. Unlike the common Beefly, Villa has a much shorter
tongue or proboscis and does not hover in front of flowers.
Yerbury, J.W. (1900) Proc. Ent.. Soc. London p.22-23
Drake, M. & A..E. Stubbs (1993) Bombyliid oviposition. Larger Brachycera
Recording Scheme Newsletter No. 10.
Drake, M. (1996) Villa and Thyridanthrax ballasts their eggs.
Larger Brachycera Recording Scheme
Newsletter No. 14
Oldrovd, H. (1969) Diptera Brachycera. Hndbks for the Ident, of
Br. Insects Vol IX pt. 4.
Drake, C.M.. (1991) Provisional atlas of the Large Brachvccra of
Britain and Ireland. Biol. Rec. Ctr. NERC
Inst. of Terr. Ecol.
Roger Payne
A SECOND ESSEX RECORD FOR THE RARE CHRYSID WASP Chrysis gracillima
The national importance of the East Thames Corridor in south Essex for its assemblage of
rare and scarce invertebrate populations has become increasingly apparent over the last
few years. I visited yet another exciting Thames Terrace gravel site several times this
year. Along the side of the footpath that runs past the site there are a number of dead
trunks, possibly of Elm. At one of these I collected several chrysid and solitary wasps.
This included two females of the Nationally Vulnerable (RDB2) chrysid Chrysis
gracillima, its probable host Trypoxylon figulus and the Nationally Scarce Microdynerus
exilis. The only other county record for Chrysis gracillima is of a single female collected
at the Broom Hill site near West Tilbury on the 15th June 1993 (see Newsletter No. 8,
p.5).
The new site is near Gravelpit Farm between East Tilbury and West Tilbury villages in
Thurrock. Although much of the site is evidently the result of past gravel workings, the
presence of a rich flora and abundance in parts of the site of plants such as Lady's
Bedstraw Galium verum, Subterranean Clover Trifolium subterraneum and Wild Clary
Salvia horminoides suggests that the workings are very old and that some parts are
remnants of the original grassland.
Further specimens of what I believe were also Chrysis gracillima were flying round a
dead tree within the main site itself. Already a few brief visits have turned up other rare
invertebrates such as the bee Andrena labiata (Nationally Scarce, Notable A) collecting
pollen from Geranium flowers and a single siting of the impressive robber Qy Asilus
crabroniformis (Nationally Scarce Notable B) resting on cow dung.
Peter Harvey
Essex Field Club Newsletter No. 20, February 1997