The Society for the study of flies (Diptera)

I have recently recorded 2 specimens of Icterica westermanni from limestone grassland near Oxford.  I'm wondering if there are any previous records for Oxfordshire?  NBN shows none.  I would also like advice on how to get hold of the distribution atlas referenced above as: Clemons (1996).

Laurence or anybody else recording tephritids - please could you tell me roughly how common Acinia corniculata is in recent years?  Any observations welcome.  I have recorded it twice in the last month in meadows with knapweed around Oxford and am being asked for management recommendations.  Obviously I'm saying keep as much knapweed as possible with seed heads left over winter.  However I would like to know if it is still a rare thing and Red Data listed, or is it becoming slightly more common?  Hope to get all my tephritid records to you, Laurence, this autumn.

Interesting, Martin, thanks.

Hi

A bit of a tangent but the recent posts prompted me to remember that I recently found male and female Urophora solstitialis on Carduus nutans in VC17 at a chalk downland site.

From what I have read about this RDB3 species the records are a little sporadic. Would you be able to tell me when it was las recorded in VC17 (Surrey)?

I'll be sending records in at some point - currently putting everything into mapmate.

Regards

Scotty

Many thanks Judy. I was hoping this would be the Tephritid I found on a "knapweed Like" plant, but alas not. But one to look out for.

I don't know how other forum members fair, but my host plant recognition isn't as good as I would like it to be, Has anyone thought of doing "Botany for Entomologists" at one of the meetings? (or has this been done already?)

Mark

In a recent Forum Bulletin I am sure that I read that Laurence Clemons was calling for records in anticipation of a new Atlas. However I cannot find anything in recent Bulletins. Am I imagining this, or is there a call for records? Can anyone advise?

I also recollect that the item from Laurence mentioned that he does not receive records by email, as he does not have email facilities. Is this correct?

Judy Webb wrote:

Laurence or anybody else recording tephritids - please could you tell me roughly how common Acinia corniculata is in recent years?  Any observations welcome.  I have recorded it twice in the last month in meadows with knapweed around Oxford and am being asked for management recommendations.  Obviously I'm saying keep as much knapweed as possible with seed heads left over winter.  However I would like to know if it is still a rare thing and Red Data listed, or is it becoming slightly more common?  Hope to get all my tephritid records to you, Laurence, this autumn.

It has been found more widely in the past decade and I have been informed (without supporting records) that it is 'all over the place in Sussex'. Richard Jones found it in the extreme north-west part of VC 16 about 10 years ago and I have found it in other parts of the same vice-county in 2003, 2004 and this year. It has quite a protracted emergence period extending well into September, although one of my records was from the middle of June.

Thank-you, Laurence.  Very useful.  My first Acinia was caught on 22nd June of this year but was obviously pale and a bit teneral. I'll try and get my head around the name changes.

A copy of the data on a CD-ROM or floppy disk would be ideal.

I would like to do some more data inputting over the Christmas Holiday so that some more updated maps can be produced early next Spring.