Graeme Lyons

2/2 I have just 12 records of this species, with most in East Sussex.

1/2 #speciesaday no. 649 is Donacia vulgaris. A local reed beetle with a striking linear rainbow pattern on the elytra, which have distinctively emarginate tips. On a variety of tall emergent vegetation by water ways.

Really awesome to see an adult male of the rare Glyphesis servulus in Cambridgeshire recently. A right whopper at 1mm! 😁 @britishspiders.bsky.social @cofnod.org.uk @graemelyons.bsky.social @chalkspring.bsky.social

Nobel peace prize 2025 live: María Corina Machado wins for work promoting democratic rights in Venezuela US president had been conducting campaign to influence prize committee

Nobel Peace Prize 2025 goes to Maria Corina Machado for her work opposing authoritarianism in Venezuela. This is what true leadership and fighting for social justice looks like

#Antifa #Resistance #BadAssWomen

Not by me!

Mark Telfer and I only went and refound Aulonia albimana on the Isle of Wight two days ago! Quite possibly the best spider find of my life! Lots of other records too. analternativenaturalhistoryofsussex.blogspot.com/2025/10/whit...

#spiders #Isleofwight #biologicalrecording #panspecieslisting

Antistea elegans (Marsh Comb-tail)

Cicurina cicur

@britishspiders.bsky.social @tylanberry.bsky.social @graemelyons.bsky.social
Two spiders that I seem to find if I'm NOT looking for them:
Antistea elegans is a spider I've wanted to find on the Bucks section of the R. Chess, having years ago seen Doug Marriott's records for it on the Herts side

Well that would have been a useful image to see along with the epigyne!

I think this looks more like cristatus. It's much broader than high, with large gaps above. The bottom is very broad and flat. flavipes is usually always about as broad as it is high and fits neatly into the hole, with small gaps above.

Ero tuberculata, a rather scarce Pirate Spider is found mainly on mature heathland on tall heather and gorse, but sometimes also in houses. It searches out the webs of other spiders in order to feed on the occupants

@britishspiders.bsky.social @tylanberry.bsky.social @graemelyons.bsky.social
Me: I don't have a favourite UK spider

Also me: 😍

#Arachtober

A write up of an incredible few days at Menai with at least 15 nudibranchs (eight were lifers) and some very talented young naturalists that showed them to us!

analternativenaturalhistoryofsussex.blogspot.com/2025/10/retu...

It was lush. There were several on there around Gorey, so they must surely be breeding now.

2/2 I have 23 records, almost of all of which are from the Weald where the are more large, beatable oak trees.

1/2 #speciesaday no. 648 is Phaeostigma notata. One of our four species of snakefly (all four in different genera) and the one I record most frequently, (though never common) typically by beating oaks in the spring/early summer. All my records are between 5th May and 13th July, most in May - June.

2/2 I have eight records from three sites. It is common in one area of Old Lodge and Graffham Common but I also saw it at Hoyle Farm in 2023.

1/2 #speciesaday no. 647 is Orchesella flavescens. A scarce and rather striking springtail that I only see on acidic woodland sites in Sussex. It was also my 350,000th record entered into my Recorder 6 database! This was from Graffham Common on 31st August. I am very behind with #speciesaday!

Lots of amazing invertebrates away from the rock pools on Jersey too! analternativenaturalhistoryofsussex.blogspot.com/2025/09/one-...

A random encounter at a refurbished farmhouse - I wondered what this little orange blob moving slowly across the floor was. As soon as I saw the distinctive dash, the game was up! Oonops domesticus, new to the Lizard Peninsula @britishspiders.bsky.social @graemelyons.bsky.social @cofnod.org.uk

A cracking two day trip to the Ecrehous! analternativenaturalhistoryofsussex.blogspot.com/2025/09/the-...

Getting out of the car in Camborne:

Cake collection....3 minutes.

Badumna longinqua count....5

It's as easy as...errrm...cake?

@britishspiders.bsky.social @graemelyons.bsky.social @cofnod.org.uk @chalkspring.bsky.social

"Look sir, dorids" So I have just got back from the longest holiday I have had in a decade. Ten days on Jersey. After really getting the bug last September, I ...

A rather epic blog about the amazing rock pools of Jersey, including a whole load of awesome nudibranchs.

Surprised to see adult Pirata last week, amazed that it's P. tenuitarsis! Same reserve as the last time I saw it 3years ago, but an isolated Sphagnum mire at the other end of the very well worked site. Incredibly localised species. @britishspiders.bsky.social @graemelyons.bsky.social @cofnod.org.uk

Liny heaven

Centromerus serratus

Saaristoa firma

Porrhomma pallidum

Good to finally get across to the border and do a bit of conifer wood bashing in Devon. Didn't take me long to find the mossy habitat for Centromerus serratus. It was accompanied by the usual Saaristoa firma and Porrhomma pallidum. @britishspiders.bsky.social @graemelyons.bsky.social @cofnod.org.uk

#speciesaday no. 646 is Poophagus sisymbrii (ha ha, he said poop). A contender for the most stupid name of any weevil. Not scarce but weirdly my only records of this are from this year at Broughton Sanctuary in Yorkshire, where it's common in a water-cress filled ditch.

Didn't see any up there! I know what you mean though. I can't go out in shorts anyway as I am allergic to the grass.

The night of the 11th/12th July was a very warm tropical night with lots of wanderers. The trap was full of unusual by-catch as well, so I am not surprised we had some unusual things turning up. How scarce is KBA up there then? Is that not spreading as fast as Tree-lichen Beauty?

Excellent, great news!

I should add we were not acting as verifiers here, just collating other's records so I can only vouch for my own. If someone said they'd seen something, we took their word for it.

Is Monochroa palustrellus a county first then?

It was 11th to 13th July not August, some six weeks ago. The Kent Black Arches and Monochroa were mine but I didn't even bother taking photos of them as they are easy and common enough. The Jersey Tiger was not mine. I have no memories of Crassa either to be fair but it's six weeks ago so who knows!