Stictopleurus abutilon (Rossi) and S. punctatonervosus (Goeze)
(Hemiptera: Rhopalidae), new records mainly from Essex
If my own experience is anything to go by, then S. abutilon is currently much scarcer than S.
punctatonervosus. My own records also suggest that S. punctatonervosus is now likely to be found in
almost any dry open herbaceous or 'wasteground'-type habitat in Suffolk, Essex, Middlesex and Kent.
The species was found at practically every Essex site surveyed in 2003, including a generally species-
poor rough grassland public open space adjacent to an allotment site in Grays. During a field meeting in
Kent ostensibly looking for spiders on 21st September, the species was swept from open herbaceous
vegetation in two out of the three localities visited, in one case in what appeared to be a set-aside field
adjacent to the River Beult. On a spider meeting to Cornard Mere in West Suffolk on 18th October we
had sat down for lunch in a set aside field adjacent to the Mere. I casually commented to the others that
I had been finding S. punctatonervosus in lots of places this year, wherever the habitat contained areas
of open tall herbaceous vegetation, and said, "I'll just go and have a sweep to see if it turns up again". A
few minutes later, I had three specimens from the area near where we were seated!
It seems probable S. punctatonervosus is now frequent in much of southeastern England wherever there
is suitable open habitat, and it. It is worth noting though that many sites containing the species have been
good quality dry grassland or brownfield invertebrate localities rather than set aside.
Acknowledgements
The author is very grateful to Dr Peter Kirby for identifying or confirming the identity of most of my
Stictopleurus specimens, and to Jerry Bowdrey, Nigel Cuming and Colin Plant for permission to include
their records in this note.
References
BOWDREY, J.P. (1999) Stictopleurus punctatonervosus (Goeze, 1778) (Hem.: Rhopalidae) rediscovered in
Britain and new to Essex. Entomologist's Record 111: 135-136.
JONES, R.A. (2000) Stictopleurus punctatonervosus (Goeze, 1778) (Hem.: Rhopalidae) breeding in
Middlesex. Entomologist's Record 112: 267-268.
KIRBY, P. (1992) A review of the scarce and threatened Hemiptera of Great Britain. JNCC, Peterborough.
KIRBY, P. (1997) Essex Heteroptera report for 1996. Essex Naturalist (New series) 14: 18-20.
SHIRT, D.B. (ed.) (1987) British Red Data Books: 2. Insects. NCC.
Postscript: further records of both species have been made in 2004 to re-inforce the view that both
species are now widespread in Essex in suitable habitat.
Essex Naturalist (New Series) 21 (2004)
59