Long overdue list update, 7.ii.2018

I usually get up to date with entering all my records in MapMate at around the New Year and then recalculate my Pan-species List. But it didn't happen last winter so today's update is the first major update since January 2016.

I've been in 3rd position on the PSL rankings from the start, miles behind Jonty and Dave, and miles ahead of everyone else. Or at least that used to be the case! I can see it is just a matter of time before I am caught up, now that my PSLing activities have slowed up. However, it was good to see that I've added 765 species in 2 years and 1 month (7th January 2016 to 7th February 2018). Remarkably, that works out almost exactly at an average of one tick a day: 765 species in 762 days!

I had 54 ticks in a week on Scilly in October 2017, largely thanks to some time rock-pooling and slum-botanising with Seth. For most of the last two years, I've really focused on groups I already know pretty well: beetles, bugs, woodlice, terrestrial molluscs. I don't get lots of ticks in these groups but they are all the more welcome when they do come. In terms of new groups, I've been making much more serious efforts with the hoppers (Auchenorrhyncha), psocids, millipedes, centipedes and pseudoscorpions. I keep on dabbling with leaf-mines, galls and rusts, which are always good for a few ticks. I've put on quite a lot of new flies and spiders but these include some fairly shabby ticks where I've collected the specimens myself but had them identified by experts. But they're both groups where my own ID skills are coming on, slowly.

What of the year ahead? I'll try to keep the PSL ethos alive and have a crack at anything and everything. But limited time means I ought to stay focused on my core groups (beetles, bugs, woodlice, terrestrial molluscs, hoppers, psocids, millipedes, centipedes and pseudoscorpions). Can't see myself twitching many birds. It's always nice to be working on a new group and I think this could be the year where I really get into spiders. Should I start running a light trap regularly in the garden and sort out my moth list? Maybe. Will I try to have a few more days of rockpooling biodiversity mayhem? Definitely!

Group (scientific name) Group (English name) totals @ 7.ii.2018 Change from 7i16 to 7ii18
photosynthetic eukaryotes other than Plants Algae 12 1
Eumycetozoa Slime Moulds 1 0
[a polyphyletic ragbag group] other Protists 0 0
lichenised fungi Lichens 59 11
a polyphyletic group Fungi other than Lichens, including fungoid organisms 211 12
Marchantiomorpha, Antherocophyta and Bryophyta Mosses, Hornworts and Liverworts 75 3
Lycopodiopsida, Polypodiopsida and Spermatopsida Pteridophytes (Horsetails, Clubmosses, Ferns, etc), Conifers and all Flowering Plants 1454 42
Porifera Sponges 0 0
Ctenophora Comb-jellies, Sea-gooseberries, etc. 1 0
Cnidaria Jellyfish, Sea-anemones, Corals, Hydra, etc. 9 6
Mollusca Slugs, Snails, Bivalves, Squid, Chitons, etc 168 15
Bryozoa Bryozoans 2 2
Annelida Earthworms, Leeches, Ragworms, etc. 12 5
Platyhelminthes Flatworms, Tapeworms, Flukes, etc. 11 4
Pycnogonida Sea-spiders 0 0
Arachnida Spiders, Harvestmen, Scorpions, Pseudoscorpions, Ticks, Mites, etc. 212 40
Myriapoda Millipedes, Centipedes, Pauropods and Symphylans 87 21
Crustacea Woodlice, Amphipods, Crabs, Lobsters, Crayfish, Barnacles, Shrimps, Copepods, etc. 85 16
Collembola, Protura and Diplura Springtails, Proturans and 2-tailed Bristletails 11 3
Archaeognatha and Thysanura 3-tailed Bristletails 9 5
Odonata Dragonflies and Damselflies 48 0
Phasmida, Orthoptera, Dictyoptera, Dermaptera Stick-insects, Grasshoppers, Bush-crickets, Crickets, Groundhoppers, Cockroaches and Earwigs,  42 1
Psocodea, Thysanoptera and Hemiptera Bugs, Hoppers, Aphids, Whiteflies, Scale-insects, Psocids, Thrips, etc 555 94
Hymenoptera Bees, Ants, Wasps and Sawflies 287 26
Coleoptera Beetles 2766 134
Diptera Flies 661 232
Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera Butterflies 61 0
Lepidoptera other than Rhopalocera Moths 746 64
Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Embiidina, Megaloptera, Raphidioptera, Neuroptera, Strepsiptera, Mecoptera, Siphonaptera and Trichoptera Mayflies, Stoneflies, Web-spinners, Alderflies, Snakeflies, Lacewings, Strepsipterans, Scorpionflies, Fleas and Caddisflies. 80 20
Echinodermata Sea-urchins, Starfish, Sea-cucumbers, etc. 1 1
Urochordata Sea Squirts, Ascidians and Salps 0 0
a paraphyletic group: Craniata other than Reptilia, Amphibia and Mammalia Fish 19 4
a paraphyletic group: Reptilia other than Aves Reptiles 8 0
Amphibia Amphibians 7 0
Aves Birds 475 3
Mammalia Mammals 64 0
[a polyphyletic ragbag group] other Animals 0 0
TOTALS   8239 765

 

Comments

Slum Botany!

I still think that Slum Botany is one of the greatest phrases ever invented! Also - I know for a fact that you have at least two terrestrial nemerteans - ie "other animals"

Nemerteans

Mark Telfer's picture

Thanks Seth. I couldn't remember what we decided about nemerteans so I put them on the list as Platyhelminthes, along with the flatworms. I should move them to other animals?

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