A New Moth Record for Ireland Cybosia mesomella (L.) (Lepidoptera) Four-Dotted FootmanAuthor(s): Clive DonaldsonSource: The Irish Naturalists' Journal, Vol. 24, No. 2 (Apr., 1992), pp. 79-80Published by: Irish Naturalists' Journal Ltd.Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25539713 .

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Ir. Nat. J. Vol. 24 No. 2 1992 79

A FURTHER OCCURRENCE OF PSECTRA DIPTERA (BURMEISTER) (INSECTA, NEUROPTERA) IN IRELAND

Psectra diptera (Burmeister), a lacewing with markedly reduced hindwings, has always been

highly prized by neuropterists. An elusive insect, which appears incapable of flight, it is most often

captured by entomologists searching for something else, as few other neuroptera are crepuscular. The

species was considered a great rarity, but in the last decade records have increased dramatically, and a

synthesis of all data pertaining to the insect was recently presented in the newsletter of the Neuroptera

Recording Scheme (Kirby, P. and Welch, R. C. 1990 Neuro News 7: 4-10). Two males of this species were sent to me by Dr J. Good of University College, Dublin, in the not

unreasonable belief that they were psocopterans. Both specimens were male micropters (macropters are very rare) taken in a D-Vac suction trap at Newbridge Fen, Co Kildare (N778152) on 22.6.1989.

The sampled vegetation was described as Carex and grass tussocks. This type of vegetation, and the

method of capture, is consistent with many of the recent records, although it may be that the precise

species of grass involved is not as important as the microhabitat which a tussock represents. Since the original Irish record of Halbert, in 1900, and a further record by Stelfox in 1955, the

insect has only occurred once more in Ireland before the present note, in Cummeenadillure, S Kerry

(Kirby and Welch op. cit.)

Lot 6, Le Pinet, 69380, Charnay, France PHIL WITHERS

ATHETA STRANDIELLA BRUNDIN (COLEOPTERA: STAPHYLINIDAE), A NECROPHILOUS BEETLE NEW TO IRELAND

Co Offaly: Clorhane, nr Clonmacnoise, M983279, 28 June 1987, 3 cTcT, pork offal bait, Corylus scrub/limestone pasture ecotone. Coll J. Good.

Co Kildare: Newbridge (Pollardstown) Fen, N771162, 8 October 1989, 1 cf, in basidiomycete Cortinarius sp, under Salix trees, fen. Coll J. Good/F. Butler.

This species is widely distributed in Fennoscandia and Central Europe, but apparently rare

(Palm, T. 1970 Svensk Insektfauna No. 52: 117-296; Silfverberg, H. 1988 Enumeratio

Coleopterorum Fennoscandia etDaniae. Helsinki; Bistrdm, O. & Silfverberg, H. 1985 Nor. Ent. 65:

143-154; Lucht, W. H. 1987 Katalog. DieKafer Mitteleuropas. 11. Goecke & Evers, Krefeld). In the

British Isles it has only been recorded from the Isle of Foula in the Shetland Isles (Hammond, P. M. & Bacchus, M. E. 1971 Entomologisfs mon. Mag. 197:153-157). Palm {op. cit.) cites Sphagnum and

baits of fish carrion, chicken manure, etc. in very wet biotopes as the most frequently recorded

habitats for this species. Although many published records are from carrion, it does not appear to be

known if this is the breeding habitat for this species. I am particularly grateful to Dr V. Mahler for confirming identification of a male Clorhane

specimen of this species, and to Dr F. Butler for help with collecting. A voucher specimen has been

deposited in the NMI.

Department of Environmental Resource Management,

University College, Dublin 4 J. A. GOOD

A NEW MOTH RECORD FOR IRELAND CYBOSIA MESOMELLA (L.) (LEPIDOPTERA) FOUR-DOTTED FOOTMAN

While trapping moths using a light trap on the night of 3-4 July 1991 I obtained in the catch a moth which I identified as a four-dotted footman Cybosia mesomella L.

This trapping was carried out at my home situated in the suburbs of E Belfast, J390760. The

specimen was photographed and later taken and set. The wingspan is 34mm, and the forewing is

whitish-grey with orange yellow edging to costa termen. The description is as depicted in Skinner (B. 1984 Colour identification guide to moths of the British Isles. Viking Penguin, Harmonds worth). My catalogues of Irish Lepidoptera by Donovan (C. 1936 A catalogue of the Macrolepidoptera of Ireland. E. J. Burrow, Cheltenham and London), Baynes (E.S.A. 1964 and supplement 1970 A revised

catalogue of Irish Macrolepidoptera. Classey, Middlesex) and Wright (W. S. 1964 Catalogue of

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80 Ir. Nat. J. Vol. 24 No. 2 1992

Macrolepidoptera in Northern Ireland.Ulster Museum, Belfast) were checked and these contained

no records of this moth. Communications about modern listings of more recent records both in

Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland also showed no previous record for this species. The

identification was supported by Mr. E. Donaldson and subsequently by Mr I. Rippey of the local Branch of the British Butterfly Conservation Society. This moth is widespread in southern England and Wales but according to Skinner {op. cit.), it is more local in northern England and Scotland as far

north as Morayshire. Heath and Emmet (J. & A. M. (eds) 1979. The moths and butterflies of Great

Britain and Ireland. 9. Harley Books, Essex) state that it is absent from Ireland.

The specimen may have been a migrant but the surrounding habitat was suitable and the

specimen was fresh and relatively unabraded.

20 Glen Ebor Park, Belfast BT42JJ CLIVE DONALDSON

FISH NOTES

Notes for inclusion in this section should be submitted to the Editor before the end of March.

Brevity is essential and, in order to prevent repetition, the following standard references should be

abbreviated as follows: O'Riordan, C. E. (1965) A catalogue of the collections of Irish fishes in the

National Museum of Ireland. Stationery Office, Dublin as 'CEO'R (1965)'; Went, A. E. J. (1957) List of Irish Fishes. National Museum of Ireland, Dublin as 'Went (1957)'; Went, A. E. J. and

Kennedy, M. (1976) List of Irish Fishes. Stationery Office, Dublin as 'W & K (1976)'; Wheeler, A. C. (1969) Fishes of the British Isles and N.W. Europe. Macmillan, London as 'Wheeler (1969)';

Wheeler, A. C. (1978) Key to the Fishes of Northern Europe. Frederick Warne, London as 'Wheeler

(1978)'. Species are arranged according to Went and Kennedy (1976).

The following records have all been submitted by Declan Quigley and Kevin Flannery.

WRECKFISH POLYPRION AMERICANUS BLOCH & SCHNEIDER

A relatively large number of specimens of wreckfish Polyprion americanus were captured in

Irish waters in recent years. Details on some of these specimens are set out in the table below:

Date Location Method T.L. (cm) Wt (kg) 17 08.1988 W of Blasket Is, Co surface net 49.5 2.268

Kerry

(V960250) do. do. do. 49.6 2.284 do. do. do. 49.8 2.338 do. do. do. 51.0 2.815 do. do. do. ? ?

do. do. do. ? ?

16.11.1988 do. trawl 50.5 2.204 08.1989 offVentry, Co Kerry surface net 58.0 3.328

(Q37010O) 07.1991 80km W Loop Hd, Co trawl 47.5 2.325

Clare (Q690470) 12.01.1992 80km W Slyne Hd, Co do. ? ?

Galway (L510410)

In addition to the specimens detailed above, 'several' specimens were reported from Dingle Bay, Co Kerry during August 1989 (Sheedy pers. comm.). During the same period, four specimens,

including the current Irish record, weighing 4.9kg, were captured on rod and line off Courtmacsherry

Bay, Co Cork (Dorman, J. 1991 Ir. Nat. J. 23: 509; Report of the Irish Specimen Fish Committee 1989: 14. Turner, Longford) The species was also frequently captured in surface drift-nets during

exploratory fishing for albacore Thunnus alalunga Bonnaterra off the SW coast (45?55'N 15?55'W) in

August 1991 (Berrow & O'Maoileidigh pers. comm.).

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