Page:VCH Suffolk 1.djvu/147

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INSECTS Kirby's H. laevigatas and H. sexnotaius, originally described from their author's parish of Barham, have not been since met with in Suffolk. H. prasinus has been found about Brandon and Bury St. Edmunds, and in the latter locality H. pauxillus occurs rarely in flowers of Inula dysenterica. Of H. laevts, Saunders writes in 1896, 'the only British exponent of this species was taken at Nacton, Suffolk, as recorded by Kirby in his Monographia ' ; Kirby says simply ' Barhamiae semel capta, iterum in Nacton, Suffolciae ' ; this certainly refers to two distinct specimens which, if I be not mistaken, both still exist in Kirby's collection in the British Museum. There are some fifty species of Andrena in Britain, and forty have been found in this county ; A. pilipes is widely distributed ; A. thoracha and A. cineraria are distinctly rare ; and the only occurrence of A. florea is that of a female on Ruhui flower in the Bentley Woods in August in 1896. Though A.nigriceps is common cnougL from July to August, Kirby's record of it, ' Barhamiae. Aprili ineunte, 1800,' must surely bean error or refer to a distinct kind. Mr. Hocking tells me that he has confirmed Kirby's record A. tridentata, at Melton and Barham, by the capture of an example in Suffolk in 190 1 ; it occurs upon ragwort and appears to have been elsewhere observed only at Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Norwich. A. coitana, named after Coyte of Ipswich, is often in the utmost profusion on Heracleum flowers at Southwold^ &c. ; and the very rare A. proximo has turned up singly at Barham, Copdock, and Great Blakenham.' A. fulvago^ not a rare species in most parts of Britain, still rests in our county list upon Kirby's record of 1799 ; he says he has usually found it scarce about Barham at the beginning of June, but that in 1799 it was very plentiful. I once found A. similis in the Bentley Woods ; it was beaten from a white poplar in the middle of June. Panurgus calcaratus has only been found at Martlesham Heath by Kirby ; but Paget, Smith, and Piffard have all taken P. ursinus. Nomada fucata and A'^. Lathhuriana have not been observed for over a hundred years; and N. lineola seems very scarce. In May 1897, I was so fortunate as to capture the second British example of T>} . guttulata, sitting upon a composite flower in Belstead Woods ; the first, without locality, is in Mr. Edward Saunders' collection.' Perkins has found N. bifida about Brandon, and Tuck N. horealis at Tostock in April. Coelioxys vectis has occurred at Lowestoft (but not at Tos'ock) ; C. rufescem has turned up in several localities, and its variety umbrina at Lowestoft. Megachile maritima is still common, with M. argentata in its original locality near Landguard Fort at Felixstowe, and has also been found inland at Rougham, Bungay, and Brandon. M. versicolor was once bred by Tuck at Tostock,* and is widely distributed in the Breck district. We have all the British Osmiae, excepting O. parietina, which is confined to Wales and the North ; the local 0. pilicornis has occurred at Lowestoft, Copdock, and once to me in June (not September) in Brantham Dale. 0. xanthomelana from Somersham and O. auruhnta from Henley, still stand upon Kirby's records, though that of 0. spinulosa from Witnesham and Little Blakenham has been confirmed by Tuck, who annually found it at Tostock. The three species of Stelis frequent the Breck sands ; and I have recently taken Anthidium manicatum commonly at South- wold at flowers of Petasites officinalis. For six years my single female of Anthophora retusa was the only known Suffolk specimen ; then Tuck took one at Thurston, and subsequently fair quantities from two colonies at Bungay in June 190 1, the males occurring at Geranium pyrenaicum and Lotus corniculatus : lately it has again been found at Bentley Woods and Copdock. Sarapoda has not been found for a century, nor, indeed, has Bombus Cullumanus ; but B. Smithianus is widely distributed and not uncommon about Brandon, and the common humble bees are frequent everywhere. I shall conclude the Aculeata with a list of the only thirteen species which have been added to the county catalogue since it was published by me in 1899 ; and indeed with so full a list one cannot expect to have much new information to impart in this respect. Additions, 1900- 1907 Tiphia minuta. Males singly on Angelica sylvestris Odynerus bifasciatus. Several found by Tuck at flowers at Brandon and Tuddenham Fen, and Tostock (cf. Ent. Mo. Mag. 1902, p. 106) upon Heracleum sphondylium at Lackford Prosopis palustris. First described from Suffolic in Bridge, in Aug. 1900 Ent. Mo. Mag. xxxvi, 49 ; I have found it Calicurgus hyalinatus. Found upon young poplar in the utmost profusion in Tuddenham Fen, as singly in Assington Thicks, in July 1902 well as at Brandon, Icklingham, and the Nezu Psen unicolor. Taken in a marshy spot at Tostock by Forest Mr. Tuck — cornuta. A single female was taken at Timworth, Gorytes laticinctus. Taken at Barton Mills in August near Bury St. Edmunds, in July (cf. Ent. Mo. 1 90 1 (A. H. Hamm) Mag. 1907, p. 67) Crabro anxius. A female on parsley at Tostock in Halictus zonulus. One found at HolUsley early in Aug. (cf Norf. Trans. 1897) Aug., by Mr. Hocking ' Cf Ent. Mo. Mag. Ixxxiii, 265. ' Ibid, xxxiii, 280. ' Cf. Trans. Nor/, and Norw. Nat. Soc. and Ent. Mo. Mag. 1894. 109