The thing that is most exciting about natural history is that it can sometimes seem like a bottomless pit. Yes I can do birds, butterflies, and dragonflies, and I'm starting my journey into moths, but there's so much else out there.
One night this week I was in the bathroom, window open, hoping to attract the odd moth. I peered at a tiny creature in the sink, and mentally labelled it not a moth, and then some kind of tiny fly. As I had my camera ready for any moths, I took a shot and then zoomed in to see a rather spectacular Gnat.
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| Lestodiplosis vorax |
I decided to try to identify it, but got absolutely nowhere. I then found the Royal Entomological Society's website and sent them the photo.
A few days later I got a reply from an impressed-sounding Andrew Whittington who basically said he had never seen anything like it, and his own research had led him to the Gall Midge family Blastodiplosis. But he said there was very little research to go on.
The following evening I found that the unfortunate insect had made it as far as the landing, where it had sadly keeled over. This at least gave me the chance to give you some scale, and to send off an update to Andrew.
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| An ex-Gnat |
Today I've had further emails from Andrew, saying he has been in touch with a Professor Jim Hardie in Edinburgh, and they think it could be an "important fly". They are waiting to hear from "Peter from Oxford" to see whether he would be interested in taking collection of the specimen with a view to attempting an identification. I'll keep you posted if I've found a first for Britain.
So am I going to start a Fly list ? Naah ! It's back to the birds and larger inverts for me, like this rather spectacular Swallow-tailed Moth which joined me in the bathroom last night.
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| Swallow-tailed Moth |
The Gall Gnat turned out to be Lestodiplosis vorax. A little studied species which already on the British list.
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