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16BRISC Recorder News No 113
COPY DEADLINEApril issue - March 14th 2020
Articles are welcomed but also snippets ofinteresting recording news and details ofevents. Book reviews welcome too. Pleaseinclude a picture of the cover, plus all the titledetails and price if available.Please send articles in Word or Open Officeformat. Photos are welcomed but best as jpegfiles and less than 800kb in size. If larger sendthem via wetransfer or similar. Please do notembed photos in your text as it sometimes canbe hard to extract them!Please send by email to the editor.
BRISC contacts & committee
Chris McInerny, ChairmanEmail: [email protected]
Louisa Maddison, SecretaryEmail: [email protected]
Jonathan Willet, TreasurerEmail: [email protected]
Andy Wakelin, Website manager andMembershipEmail:[email protected]
Sarah Eno, EditorEmail: [email protected]
Christine Johnston, NBN AtlasProject OfficerEmail: [email protected]
Richard WeddleEmail: [email protected]
Kelly Anne DempseyEmail: [email protected]
Sarah Jayne [email protected]
Francesca [email protected]
Website design and maintenanceThe website uses a template and buildersoftware provided by our hostingcompany, 123-Reg.co.uk and requires theWebsite Manager to change the contenton each page as required by thecommittee.The regular updates are to the newssection which displays the up-comingtraining courses, conferences, and jobvacancies which are usually received viaemail.Website visitor statistics from GoogleAnalytics is reported to each committeemeeting.Email SupportThe hosting package provides a numberof email addresses and email lists whichare used by members of the committee.These need to be kept up to date asrequested by the committee.Members EmailsNotice of each newsletter is sent to allthose members who nominate to getthem electronically. The newsletter itselfis held on the website for members todownload and obtained from the editor inPDF format.Notification of the BRISC Conference issent to all members with email addresses.
Please contact Andy Wakelin withany questions and [email protected]
Newsletter printed by Bordersprint,Selkirk, Scottish Borders.
1BRISC Recorder News No 113
www.brisc.org.ukwww.facebook.com/BriscScotland
Recorder News
Issue No 113 - January 2020
ISSN 0966-1964
CONTENTSHave you seen these slugs? .………..……1Chairman and Editor columns.………….…4Species-rich Grasslands Survey .………….5Bursaries for 2020 .…………….……………..5Museum collections ..….…….……………….6Bursary reports ……………….……….……….7SBIF Update ……….…………………………..10Book Review …………….……………………..11NBN Trust News ………….…………………..13BRISC - Job Vacancy, Committee and next deadline……………………………..16
Have you seen these slugs?
Slugs – very few people are a fan of theseslimy creatures, particularly those whowould like to have hostas or lettuce in theirgardens. However, of the 40+ species ofslugs found in Britain and Ireland, only 9are considered serious plant pests. Many ofthe remaining species prefer to feed ondecaying plant material, fungi, lichens andalgae, and may actually be beneficial togardeners in their role as detritivores andnutrient recyclers. Some species of slug arepredatory, with the shelled slugs (Testacel-lidae) among those that live undergroundand feed on earthworms. Other elusiveslugs such as the Lemon Slug (
) are even more specialised, beingrestricted to ancient woodland where theyappear to feed only on fungal fruitingbodies and hyphae. Many species areomnivorous and polyphagous, opportunis-
tically feeding on whatever they comeacross; including a vast range of live ordead plant material, dead animals, oranimal waste.In March 2019 the Royal HorticulturalSociety (RHS) launched a survey askingmembers of the public to head out intotheir gardens and see if they can spot theelusive yellow cellar slug ( ).This species was first recorded in Britain inthe 1600’s, but over recent decades, the
Yellow Cellar Slug ( )© RHS/Emma Griffith
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species appears to have gone in to decline,with records being few and far between. Inthe late 1960’s the green cellar slug( ) was recognised asbeing present in mainland Britain, sincethen spreading rapidly, becoming verycommon and appearing to replace itssimilar looking cousin.As detritivores, preferring to feed on
decaying plants, fungi, lichen, algae andmould both these species arepotentially beneficial for the garden. Theyoften appear to be encountered aroundcompost bins, walls, paved areas andindoors. In fact, they are so efficient atconsuming mould that a man in Australiaused to keep some in his bathroom inten-tionally to clean the grout around his tiles.He reasoned it was less effort to clean offthe slime than the mould. He also rarelysaw his bathroom helpers, as the speciesare nocturnal and rarely active in lightconditions.
The yellow cellar slug has always beenstrongly associated with human habitationand considered a common garden species,while the green cellar slug is also able toinhabit woodland and other natural habi-tats. There is evidence that the two speciesare able to hybridise, with the green cellarslug proving genetically dominant.However, environmental conditions, habitat
and competition may also have a role toplay. For this reason, the survey also seeksto gather information on the types ofgarden and management styles to identifyany commonality in where these speciesare found in gardens.These slugs are among some of our largerspecies, reaching a size of 80 – 130mmextended length when crawling. Both cellarslugs are distinctive looking, with yellow-green heavily mottled patterned bodies andblue-grey tentacles. The yellow cellar slugcan be separated from the green cellar slug
Yellow Cellar Slug and Green Cellar Slug - part taken from RHS & Amgueddfa Cymru –National Museums Wales
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The licence fee applies for the duration ofthe financial year (1 April 2019 to 31 March2020) and will give users access todictionary updates and any new releases.The 2019-20 fee for existing users is:Organisations with full-time paidemployees: £250, to cover all theorganisation’s copies of Recorder 6.Individuals and voluntary organisationswithout full time paid employees: £25 percopy of Recorder 6.The licence fee has been introduced toensure Recorder 6 users can continue tomanage and use their data-holdings effec-tively, now and in the future. It has beenset in line with the average ‘willingness-to-pay’ expressed in responses to theRecorder 6 consultation. It will need to bereviewed in future as the number ofRecorder 6 users paying for updates, users’requirements, the costs of maintenanceand development, and other potentialfunding sources becomes clearer.Current users can continue to use existingversions of Recorder 6 without paying thelicence fee, but won’t be able to accessdictionary updates or new releases.Payments are being handled by the NBNTrust, on behalf of the Recorder 6 SteeringGroup. To purchase your licence and tofind out more, please visit:https://nbn.org.uk/join-or-donate/recorder6/
NBN Trust Honorary Membership2019
We are delighted to announce that we haveawarded two Honorary Memberships in2019. The work of the two nomineesrelates primarily to Recorder 6 softwareand the awards have been given to - MikeWeideli and Sally Rankin.https://nbn.org.uk/news/joint-nbn-trust-honorary-membership-2019/
FAIR Data Principles
One of the NBN Conference 2019 Knowl-edge Exchange Sessions was about FAIRData Principles. Its aim was to introducethe Principles and explore how they can beapplied to the access and use of biodiversitydata.A summary of the discussions andoutcomes from the session can be foundon the NBN website:https://nbn.org.uk/news/fair-data-principles/
NBN Trust Annual Report 2018/19
The NBN Trust Annual Report for 2018/19has now been published. The latest Reportfocuses on “Our Year” and not onlyhighlights the work of the NBN Trust, butalso reinforces the Network, our partnershipethos and our work as a memberorganisation to support the NBN Strategy2015 – 2020.The Report, which has an all new,interactive format, can be viewed anddownloaded at https://nbn.org.uk/tools-and-resources/publications/reports/
BRISC Website ManagerBRISC are seeking a new websitemanager. Applicants should have aninterest in building and maintainingwebsites and should be conversant withemail clients and their settings. Aninterest in Biological Recording would beuseful but is not a requirement. This postis voluntary.The main components of the job are:1. Website design and maintenance2. Email support for committee and dealwith all general enquiries received via email3. Email members with news ofnewsletters and other items
14BRISC Recorder News No 113
Scientific names follow the same format ason the UKSI of Name + Authority + Attribute 3. The species dictionary was updated withthe latest version of the UKSI on 14thOctober. The main name changes in theupdate were to the Fungi. 4. We have added the field ‘vitality’ toindicate whether the organism was alive ordead at the time of the occurrence. It ispossible to filter records on this field, but atthe moment we have very few records withan entry in the vitality field.Spatial layer update
Apart from holding species data, the NBNAtlas can also hold spatial data layers suchas boundary, habitat and environmentaldata layers. These spatial layers providethe background information that enablesthe selection of species records by specificfeatures, such as protected areas.
Recently added layers:▪ Belfast Hills Partnership boundary▪ Burial grounds (selected) (England)▪ District Council Boundaries (Northern
Ireland)▪ National Forest Estate boundaries
(England)▪ Network Rail’s regional route study
areas▪ Water Framework Directive River Basin
Districts and Sub-Basin Districts (Scot-land)
Recently updated layers:▪ Marine Conservation Zones (England)▪ Marine Protected Areas, SACs and SPAs
(for Scotland)The full set of spatial layers can beaccessed through the NBN Atlas spatialportal. Navigate to the spatial portal fromthe NBN Atlas home page by selecting the
‘Analyse’ tab. Go to the ‘Add to Map’dropdown in the top left corner and choose‘Layers’ to reach the ‘Add Layer’ dialoguebox. Layers are categorised by country andbroad topic, and the metadata can bereached via the information (i) buttonalongside each layer name.NBN Sensitive Species Policy
Following the annual review of the NBNsensitive species policy, the NBN Trust hasdecided, after consultation with theindividual nature conservation bodies, tocontinue to use the sensitive species lists assupplied by each country’s natureconservation body. This is due in part to theamount of work required to liaise with thedifferent organisations to agree anychanges.The NBN Trust will continue to use the UKand Isle of Man Agency lists (i.e. ScottishNatural Heritage, Northern IrelandEnvironment Agency, Natural England,Natural Resources Wales and Manx NationalHeritage), which are based on specificsensitivities in each country. The NBN Trustwill assist and support data providers andother interested parties in requestingchanges to the individual country lists toeach country Agency. Please contact theNBN Trust ([email protected]) if youwould like to discuss submitting a requestfor changes to the sensitive species lists.You can view the updated NBN sensitivespecies policy on the NBN websitehttps://nbn.org.uk/news/nbn-atlas-news/nbn-sensitive-species-policy-review/
New maintenance & developmentarrangements for Recorder 6A new software licence for Recorder 6 isnow live. This will fund new maintenanceand development arrangements and will befunded and steered by users.
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According to NBN atlas, historically theyellow cellar slug has been recorded in 21of the 41 vice counties in Scotland, with atotal of 93 records of the species in Scot-land between 1890 and 2017. In contrast,the green cellar slug has been recorded468 times between 1965 and 2018 inScotland in 34 of the 41 vice counties.Over recent decades, the green cellar slugis more frequently recorded than theyellow cellar slug in Scotland.I would like to set BRISC newsletterreaders the challenge of submitting thefirst records of or
. Records of these speciesfrom areas already recorded are still mostwelcome, but we are keen to fill the largeblank gaps on our map of Scotland. Youcan find out more about how to getinvolved and how to submit your recordsthrough iRecord via our custom form atwww.rhs.org.uk/slugsurvey. You can alsofind the survey on Twitter: @UKslugsurveyRecords of other slug species can also besubmitted via the main iRecord page, andare important in helping us understand thefauna better. All data is being shared withother iRecord partners, including theConchological Society of Britain andIreland, to help inform further research,understanding and mollusc conservationefforts.This survey is part of a PhD project, super-vised by the RHS, Newcastle Universityand the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology,seeking to better understand the diversityof slug species in gardens and helpencourage good garden stewardship.
The full ID chart which includes theLeopard Slug is available at:https://www.rhs.org.uk/science/pdf/SlugID-guide.pdf
by the presence of an unbroken line ofyellow along the centre of the tail from tipto mantle edge (saddle shaped area near aslugs head). Both species are pale under-neath and exude a clear to yellow-orangemucus. As these species of slug arenocturnal, people are being asked to grabtorches and step out into their gardensafter dark in the hope of recording them.You may also encounter these slugs duringthe day, huddled in groups under heavyobjects or inside compost bins, an unusu-ally sociable behaviour common in thesetwo species of slug thought to be a mois-ture saving tactic. Both species will huddletogether in mixed groups. These huddlesare dynamic, with slugs jostling throughoutthe day for the best position in the middleof the huddle. Cellar slugs are believed tohave a homing instinct, usually returning tothe same resting sites each day.Since the survey started, over 250 recordshave been submitted to the survey.However, only 12 of these are confirmed asyellow cellar slugs, indicating that it isindeed a scarce species in Britain. So farrecords from Scotland have been few, witha handful of green cellar slug records fromGlasgow, Edinburgh, Stirling, and the OuterHebrides. One record of particular note isthe green cellar slug ( )from the Isle of Lewis as it is the first recordof this species for the island, and appearsto be only the second recorded occurrenceof this species in the Outer Hebrides.Records like this are important in under-standing the spread and reach of slugspecies within a relatively short number ofyears. Scotland is still very much a blankspace for mapping the distribution of thesespecies, with no confirmed records of theyellow cellar slug ( ) receivedin the RHS survey yet.
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Editors piece
Since this is a bumperissue I am sayinglittle, other thanplease note thevarious requests -
pgs 3, 5, 6, and JOB VACANCYWebmaster for BRISC - see JobDescription on pages 15-16. I hope youfind this is a good post festive read.
Chairman’s Column
A very happy NewYear to all members ofBRISC.
It was a very successful BRISC annualconference in Edinburgh, October 2019. Itfocused on ‘Museums, Collections &Biological Recording’, with a number ofspeakers giving excellent talks, includingpresentations by Ashleigh Whiffin(entomology, National Museums Scotland),Elspeth Haston (botany, The Royal BotanicGarden), Richard Sutcliffe (museumcollections, Glasgow Museums ResourceCentre), and Bob McGowan (NationalMuseums Scotland). We also had short talksby Jess Mason on mosses and liverworts,Apithanny Bourne on leaf mining moths,and Alexander Paterson on marinemammals, who each received bursaries toattend BRISC sponsored courses. It waslovely to meet BRISC members at this veryenjoyable day. (a )I continue to monitor an urban populationof Stock Doves near myhome in the West End of Glasgow. This isthe only known urban colony in Scotland( 38: 141-142). Interestingly Iam now finding that birds are present
throughout the year, with courtship andmating even in December! We have still somuch to learn about the natural world, andbiological recording is a way to enable this.Best wishes, and good biological recordingthrough 2020.
2019 Conference photos © David Palmar
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NBN News - December 2019
NBN Award winners
The winners and runners up of the NBNAwards for Wildlife Recording 2019 wereannounced at the Albert Hall, Nottinghamon Wednesday 13 November.These national Awards recognise andcelebrate the outstanding contributionsadults and young people are making towildlife recording and data sharing, which ishelping to improve our understanding ofthe UK’s biodiversity.The winners in the five Award categoriesare:• NBN Young Person’s Award (open toindividuals aged 11-20) – Michael Sinclair,age 15, from Glasgow• NBN Newcomer Award (open toindividuals 21 years +) – Sue Taylor, fromHertfordshire• NBN Award for wildlife recording – Marine– Dawn Watson, from Suffolk• NBN Award for wildlife recording –Terrestrial – Ian Wallace, from Liverpool• NBN Group Award – Joy of Wildlife, fromShropshire
More information on the winners andrunners up can be found on the NBNwebsite: https://nbn.org.uk/news-events-publications/uk-awards-biological-recording-information-sharing/winners-2019-nbn-awards-wildlife-recording-announced/
NBN Conference 2019 review and2020 – save the date!160 delegates attended the 2019 NBNConference. It was held at the Albert Hall,Nottingham, on 13 and 14 November.Many organisations were represented, as20 presentations and an afternoon ofKnowledge Exchange Sessions made for afull programme and a lively two days ofdiscussion and networking.All of the presentations and an overview ofthe two days via social media can befound on the NBN website:https://nbn.org.uk/news-events-publications/nbn-conference-2/nbn-conference-2019/nbn-conference-2019-review-and-social-media/We are pleased to announce that the NBNConference 2020 will be held on 18 and 19November at the Open University in MiltonKeynes.It will run in collaboration with iSpot whichwill be rounding off its 10 year anniversarycelebrations. There are plans for an iSpotseminar / workshop on 17 November andmore information on all the events will bebrought to you in due course.
NBN Atlas - Development updates
Here are some of the more important ones: 1. Records supplied in the data file with theUKSI Taxon Version Key for the commonname are now correctly matched to thescientific name. Previously the names wereunmatched on the NBN Atlas and thedataset had to be resupplied with the TVKof the scientific name 2. The name attribute has been added tothe scientific name, e.g. synonyms in thegenus Neomyia:https://species.nbnatlas.org/search?fq=idxtype%3ATAXON&q=Neomyia.
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illustrated. Admittedly, most of these arerare immigrants such as the African, theGoldwing, the Grouville Dart or theWedgeling, that few of us are likely toencounter, but for the sake of completion,it is right that they should be there. Thereare also some additional forms illustratedand additional views to help identification.For example, there is now a side-on view ofthe Lesser-spotted Pinion and under-wingillustrations of Tawny Pinion and PalePinion. There is also a new head-on view ofHeart and Dart clearly showing thedistinctive “Noel Gallagher” mono-brow, aswell as enlarged antenna drawings andadditional underside features for Great OakBeauty and Pale Oak Beauty for example.Perhaps the greatest change in the last fewyears has been the complete reorganisationof the British checklist, published by theRoyal Entomological Society in 2013(Agassiz et al. 2013) with corrections andadditions in 2016 and 2019. This is theresult of advances in taxonomicaltechniques including a wider use of DNAand a greater understanding of therelationships between species. This mostrecent checklist changes the order thatfamilies appear, the order of genera withinfamilies and the order of species withingenera. Some moths have moved betweengenera and in some cases althoughcommon names might remain the same,some or all of the scientific name mighthave changed. All these changes arereflected in the second edition - quite anupheaval, and all the more reason toinclude the old and new checklist numbersperhaps?Despite the points raised, I think we didneed a second edition and this pretty wellticks all the boxes both as an update to thefirst edition and as a stand-alone guide.Definitely one for the knapsack.
required to differentiate between confusionspecies: for example the abdomen ofTreble-bar and Lesser Treble-bar, or head-on views of Smoky Wainscot and SouthernWainscot.At the back of the book is a list of suggestedfurther reading, related journals and usefulwebsites. This is a nice feature that canopen up lots of new avenues. There areseparate indices for scientific and commonnames, something that I am afraid that Ihave never understood – an index inalphabetical order should be easy enoughto use with separating it into differentcategories! Another minor, trivial andpersonal gripe.As a standalone guide, this is a superbpublication, designed for true field use –pocket sized, well laid out and withbeautiful and accurate drawings.Most of the above comments apply equallyto the first edition, so do we really need asecond edition? What does it add?The introduction to the second edition hasbeen expanded to include the informationabout life-cycles, distinguishing moths frombutterflies and other insects and someexample of micro-moth species. These areuseful reference additions.The first edition was based on the 2003edition of the Field Guide. In the last 16years there have been tremendousadvances in moth recording. Literallymillions of records have been accumulated,not least by Butterfly Conservation’sNational Moth Recording Scheme, started in2007. The collation and analysis of theserecords has given us a much greater insightinto distribution and their changes, changesin status and in flight seasons. This newinformation is reflected in the secondedition.The second edition is also brought up todate with an additional 23 species
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Mapping Species Rich Grasslands
I am working on a project at SNH to identifyand map undesignated species richgrasslands. It’s estimated that Britain haslost 97% of its meadows in less than acentury and currently, only half of Scotlandhas been mapped for this vulnerablehabitat. Identifying remaining fragments ofSRG is the first step in protecting sites fromthe threat of development and forestry.Whilst the project will mainly focus onremote sensing techniques and satelliteimagery, I’d also like to explore a citizenscience approach to gathering data.
Enthusiastic naturalists and botanists oftenhave the best and most up to dateknowledge of their local areas. A form hasbeen created, allowing volunteers to submitinformation about undesignated grasslandsites they know of. It includes some simpleguidance and I would greatly appreciate itif you could share with anybody you thinkmay be interested, include in your regionalmailing lists or perhaps even take partyourself.
Collected data will be incorporated intoSNH’s Habitat Map of Scotland, a publiclyaccessible tool used by ecologists, localauthorities, developers and conserva-tionists.
Please contact me for the [email protected]
Bursaries for field courses in2020Since 2009, BRISC and GNHS (GlasgowNatural History Society) have offeredbursaries for studying wildlife in Scotland.Costs are awarded for up to £200. SNH(Scottish Natural Heritage) have beencontributing to bursaries with us since2017, specifically targeting those aged 25or under. In 2019 the Inverness BotanyGroup joined the bursary scheme with acontribution from a member’s bequest,offering funding for courses studyingplants in the Highlands.BRISC are pleased to be working with ourpartners in providing bursaries to improvethe taxonomic skills of people all overScotland, and are also especially thankfulto our members who have provideddonations over the years to support thiswork.Visit our website for the application formfor bursaries in 2020; applications shouldbe received by 31 January.
*******You may also be interested in the grantsshown below from other organisations.The Botanical Society of Scotlandfieldwork grants
Founded in 1836 as the Botanical Societyof Edinburgh, the Society grew to becomethe Botanical Society of Scotland in 1991which reflects the expansion of theSociety's interests. The BSS promotes thestudy of non-flowering plants and algae,fungi and lichens as well as floweringplants.Support for Student Fieldwork is availablefor both Fieldwork Projects and FieldworkCourses with a botanical theme. Grants forfieldwork projects (up to £400) for whichfinancial support is sought:
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▪ should not form part of a university orcollege course.
▪ should be undertaken in the BritishIsles, preferably in Scotland.
▪ may be carried out by individualstudents or groups of students.
Grants for fieldwork courses are alsoavailable for individual students (up to£200).These courses:▪ should not form part of a university or
college course.▪ should be undertaken in the British
Isles, preferably in Scotland.Applications must be received by April 30thin the year for which support is requested.A short report, suitable for publishing in theBSS News, should be sent to the Societyafter the project is completed. Furtherinformation and contact details forapplications can be found at:https://www.botanical-society-scotland.org.uk/content/support-studentfieldwork-0
The Malloch Society bursaries
The Malloch Society was formed in 1988 bya group of Scottish Dipterists. The society isnamed in honour of John Russell Malloch(1875 - 1963) one of Scotland’s mosteminent Dipterists. The aim of the societyis to improve the knowledge and awarenessof Diptera (two winged flies).The Malloch Society has the opportunity togive small grants to individualentomologists, up to a maximum of £500per applicant. This offer, the DavidRobertson Memorial Fund, is in memory ofa founder member and former treasurer ofthe Society. Preference will be given todipterological research projects in Scotlandthat would lead to the formal publication ofresults.
Please visit the BRISC website fordetails on how to apply to any of thebursaries:
Museum collections – a resourcefor us all
At this year’s BRISC conference, we hadexcellent talks focusing on the role ofmuseums and collections in biologicalrecording. The three venues can be visitedif you have an interest in a particularelement of the vast collections, and thereare general tours as well. Read thefollowing information and check thewebsites for more details on how to book avisit. If BRISC members would like to visitone (or more!) of the stores as an organ-ised group, get in touch with BRISC todiscuss – if there is enough interest we canarrange a trip.The National Museums CollectionCentre at Granton, Edinburgh, providesa home for many objects and specimensthat are not currently on display in the NMSmuseums. From butterflies to dinosaurbones, motorbikes to traction engines – thematerial gathered here is as diverse as it isvast.On our guided tours of the CollectionCentre, you’ll discover how staff access,research and prepare collections not ondisplay, meet specialists from curatorialand collections care teams to learn moreabout how the internationally importantcollections are cared for.National Museums Scotland welcomesformal and informal research enquiriesabout collections and specimens that areon display at the four museum sites or heldat the store. If you wish to research or
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moth anatomy, showing for example whatis meant by the kidney mark, the trailingedge or the basal cross-line. There followsa description of the moth life cycle andsome simple guidelines for distinguishingmoths from butterflies and other insects.Finally, there is a short section about thedivision of moths into macro-moths andmicro-moths and illustrations of some ofthe micros that could be confused formacros.The species accounts cover 150 pages, andare ordered by family in accordance withthe most recent British Isles check list andupdates (Agassiz et al, 2013, 2016a, b,2019). All 897 recorded species of macro-moth are included. At the start of eachfamily, there is a very brief description offamily characteristics, such as sharedresting posture for example. Each speciesaccount is on the page facing theillustration, so with the book open, thespecies account is on the left hand pageand the illustration is on the right handpage. The spiral binding allows the bookto be laid flat so that all the requiredinformation on any species is easily viewed.The species account starts with thecommon and scientific name. The checklistnumber is not included and I feel that thisis a needless omission – I am sure thatmany enthusiasts share my love ofnumbers and lists and it seems that itwould have been so easy to include thesewithout having to change the layout or addto the volume, but this is a very minor gripe.The species name is followed byabbreviated status and distribution,forewing length and a brief description ofkey identification features, along withreference to any possible confusionspecies. Each account closes with a note ofthe flight season and associated habitat.For a small number of species, there areadditional illustrations of key features
Concise Guide tothe Moths of GreatBritain and Ireland– Second edition.Martin Townsendand Paul Waring,illustrated byRichard Lewing-ton. 2019.
Bloomsbury Press
Up until 2003, the only guides available formoth identification were those showingpinned specimens with their wings spreadas if for display. Wonderful as these guideswere, I recall as a beginner how difficult itcould be to relate these pictures to the livemoths in front of me. Then came the publi-cation of Paul Waring and MartinTownsend’s Field Guide to the Moths ofGreat Britain and Ireland with life size illus-trations of moths in their natural restingpositions by Richard Lewington. This effec-tively revolutionised macro-moth identifica-tion and contributed to the explosion ofinterest around that time. However, eventhe paperback edition did not easily fit inone’s pocket for field use and so theConcise Guide to the Moths of Great Britainand Ireland was born in 2007, as acompanion to the Field Guide. It had all thesame illustrations, but with reduced textagainst each species and had a spiralbinding for ease of use in live field condi-tions.Following a second edition of the FieldGuide in 2009 and a third in 2017, we nowhave a second edition of the Concise Guide.The introduction describes the content ofeach species account and provides keys tostatus categories, distribution abbreviationsand habitat abbreviations used in theaccounts. It also has annotated pictures of
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common mines found on Beech and Hazel.These each support only 4-5 species of leafmining moths. After a morning of practisingon both trees, we quickly grasped how toidentify these mines, making us confidentenough to start tackling other trees. Davesuggested that bramble, buckthorn,sycamore, field maple and ash were goodspecies to move on to, steering clear of oakmines, which require a good degree ofexperience and confidence. Using theexcellent website www.leafmines.co.uk(the mine key for each British tree species)it became easier identify new mines.During the course I retained my leafsamples sealing them in plastic bags tokeep them fresh. Since returning home theyhave all been laminated alongside specieslabels, which I am finding particularly usefulas I search for mines in my own garden. Sofar, I have added several new moth speciesto my garden list! I’d recommend attendingthis course or any others at Juniper Hall,where I also added Silver-spotted Skipperto my British butterfly list. A Jersey Tigermoth (Fig.3) on the last evening was also awonderful bonus – despite being thereespecially to look at leaf mines, moth-ersjust can’t resist bringing along a moth trap!
SBIF Update
Since our last SBIF update, the SBIFAdvisory Group has been focussing onfinalising the Investment Programme forScottish Government, for submission byChristmas.Implementation of the Recommendationshas been broken into two tranches, framedas a Programme of work to be underundertaken over five years (with a furtherfive years for benefits realisation).The first project in Tranche 1 will undertakeall necessary feasibility studies and projectdevelopment prior to two further projectsestablishing the regional, national and UKlevel capabilities and capacity needed toprovide Infrastructure support and services(and community funding to growparticipation and open provision of data)across Scotland.In Tranche 2, the newly establishedNational and Regional Hubs will undertakethree projects to facilitate high levels ofsector awareness and improved data flows,development of value-added services ineach sector, and capacity building withrecording groups and community groups tomaximise participation.We have continued to make the case forsufficient sustainable public funding totransform the Infrastructure and catalyselong-term funding from other sectors andwe now must wait for the formal responsefrom Scottish Government.
We will update you all as soon as we knowour plan for the next year ahead.
Contact:[email protected]
Fig. 3
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view specimens from a particular collectionyou can use the website to book an appoint-ment in advance.www.nms.ac.uk/collections-research/research-facilities/national-museums-collection-centre/
The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh's(RBGE) Herbarium numbers approxi-mately three million specimens, repre-senting half to two thirds of the world’sflora. It is a leading botanical collection,with researchers from around the worldvisiting to study specimens in a well-de-signed and user-friendly setting. Thisunique working reference collection bringsspecies from all over the world together intoone place to be discovered, described andcompared.The specimens cover over 300 years ofbiodiversity, the oldest specimen collectedin 1697. The collection is still one of themost active in the world, receiving up to30,000 specimens each year. A major digiti-sation programme has imaged nearly half amillion specimens which are freely availableonline.The collections are used for a wide range ofresearch purposes and can be accessedphysically by visiting the collections. Visitsare encouraged from researchers fromscientific institutes and their students,artists and other researchers wishingexplore the Collection. Visits can be made intandem with those to the RBGE Library andArchives.www.rbge.org.uk/science-and-conservation/herbarium/
Glasgow Museums Resource Centre(GMRC) is the store for the museums'collections when they are not on display.The 17 purpose-built and environmentallycontrolled storage ‘pods’ house around 1.4
million objects. It is a vast building withrooms full of fantastic objects, from animalsto armour, and fine art to fossils. The maincollections stored here are Art and Painting,Arms and Armour, Natural History, Tech-nology and World Cultures.GMRC can be explored through a widerange of tours, talks and activities for allages, including school visits and events forfamilies with children. You can also arrangeto see particular objects and collections bycontacting the venue.www.glasgowlife.org.uk/museums/venues/glasgow-museums-resource-centre-gmrc
Above - Jeff Boddy, Ranger addressing BRISCconference at Holyrood Park. Below - out on
Salisbury Crags. photos © David Palmar
8BRISC Recorder News No 113
Identifying Sphagnum mosses
Being in upland habitats of Scotland inrecent years has seen me develop aninterest in their ecology and species.Sphagnum mosses have played key roles inthe formation of our peatlands andalthough I had acquired some knowledgeon their ecology, my ability to ID differentspecies was quite poor. So it is thanks tothe BRISC and GNHS bursary project that Iwas able to attend the FSC Sphagnummoss course at Blencathra in the LakeDistrict near Keswick in October of 2019.The course was hosted by the extremelyknowledgeable Nick Hodgetts and with hisassistance we visited two local peatlandsites to record and collect specimens inorder to learn the key identificationfeatures.One was Eycott Moss where a mix of acidand base-rich flush species could be foundand on the second day we went to blanketbog above Great Wood where we soughtone bog-forming species in particular –
. We were fortu-nate to find 20 species out of the 35recorded in the UK. A key message from thecourse was taking ID as far as possible inthe field using the features which can beseen with a hand lens – overall plant size,colour, branch leaf shape, stem leaf shapeand orientation. Specimens can then bedivided into one of the 6 different sections:
or before being furtheridentified to species. Some species exhibit
variation between individuals and somespecimens require a more thorough anal-ysis back in the lab. The extra power of adissecting microscope can enable uniquecellular patterns and shapes to be seen.Over the past few years I have beenrecording and monitoring wildlife at a site inEast Renfrewshire called Shieldhill Farm.This is adjacent to Whitelee Windfarm andhas a similar variety of habitats. I try torecord as many species as I can althoughmy focus is on the bird species at present.With good areas of peat bog and wet heathI have been aware of the range of
species but I never put mucheffort into recording or working out whichspecies were present. All I had were a fewphotographs from which I’ve retrospectivelybeen able to identify some species.However, I now plan to use my new identi-fication skills to generate a species list for
BURSARY REPORTS
in bog
9BRISC Recorder News No 113
are guilty of turning a blind eye to micromoths. Micros are difficult. Many of themrequire dissection to confirm identificationand more still aren’t attracted to light at all.However, examining the mines left behindby moth larvae as they eat their waythrough leaves, offers a solution. Differentspecies use leaves in different ways. Someleaf miners form a long winding “gallery”mine between the upper and lowerepidermis of the leaf (Fig.1), others createa “blotch” mine on one side (Fig.2) and
some even outgrow their mines completely,choosing to fold over a leaf edge insteadWhatever the technique, leaf miners haveadapted interesting ways to avoidpredation and the signs they leave behindcan help us to identify their presence.Recording leaf mines requires someknowledge of botany and an understandingof fieldcraft which offers an extradimension to mothing.Few people record leaf mines and sostudying them involved a trip down to thebeautiful Juniper Hall field centre in Surrey.support of the bursary.Led by Dave Grundy, a regular on themothing circuit, the weekend-long courseoffered a brilliant hands-on foundation inidentifying leaf mines. Dave’s course is wellstructured and first involved learning the
the site as well as map out where keybog-forming species such as
occur. I hope that by doing this Imight be able to gain an idea of where thebest areas of peat bog remain.Since the course, I have been collecting andrecording specimens during my regularvisits to the site so that I can continue topractice my ID skills. Using my phone I amrecording the grid references of all recordsto eventually develop a rough site map withthe intention of using it to identify variationin habitats and quantify habitat quality.
Learning Leaf Mines
The winter months are a difficult time for uslepidopterists - most butterflies have longabandoned us, and our moth traps becomeincreasingly empty as the year draws to aclose. This was part of the temptation ofdelving into the world of leaf mine identi-fication. A promise of extending themothing season well into late autumn andeven into winter. That, and the allure ofrecording a group of insects which are sooften overlooked.Whilst moth trapping has been steadilyincreasing in popularity for a while now -even the seasoned moth-ers amongst us
Figure 1
Figure 2
