UK. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 7: 1994 



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Dinton Pastures, 20 September 1992. While passers-by look on bemused, Roger Morris searches 

 unsuccessfully for the spider Nuctenea sclopetaria (Clerk), webs of which were seen on the bridge 

 balustrade. Photo: F. M. Murphy. 



Mr N. A. Callow had visited eastern Nepal in March and April and showed slides 

 of the area, including butterflies drinking from wet mud and Primula irregularis in 

 flower at the snow line. This was followed by photographs taken mainly in Britain 

 of a wide range of insects, spiders, wild flowers and birds. Some of these illustrated 

 insect behaviour, such as brown ants attending black aphids, a dolichopodid fly 

 drinking from a water droplet and a solitary wasp, Symmorphus sp., flying off with 

 a figwort weevil larva, Clonus sp., clasped in its jaws and front legs. He showed a 

 series of photographs taken of two slugs, Arion ater (L.), feeding on a dead earthworm, 

 which was also being eaten by a social wasp. A black ant nearby appeared to be 

 threatening the wasp, which was responding by whirring its wings. 



Mr D. Hackett showed a slide of the buprestid beetle Agrilus pannonicus (P. & M.) 

 photographed on oak bark near its characteristic semicircular emergence hole. This beetle 

 has become widespread in NE London in recent years. Also shown were slides of the 

 purple hairstreak and the white-letter hairstreak butterflies taken in the grounds of 

 Alexandra Palace. The former is local in London and Alexandra Palace is a new site for 

 the white-letter hairstreak. The remaining slides were of an Orthosia sp. larva on 

 buckthorn, a larva of Blair's shoulder knot, Lithophane leautieri (Boisd.) on a leylandii 

 hedge and a drinker moth, Philudoria potatoria (L.) recently emerged from its cocoon. 



14 December 1993 



Mr A. J. Halstead showed a live queen Dolichovespula media (Retz.) (Hymenoptera: 

 Vespidae) found 5.xii.93 in a wood at Knaphill, Surrey. It was one of two found 

 separately hibernating on the undersides of logs on the ground. The queens of this 

 species, which was first recorded in Britain in 1981, presumably require hibernation 

 sites with a high humidity if this is a typical situation for this species. 



Mr R. A. Jones showed the local hoverfly Scaeva selenitica (Meig.) found 

 sunning itself on a pine trunk at The Chart, Limpsfield, Surrey, on 18. xi. 1993. 

 This large, scarce hoverfly was previously regarded as solely a migrant, but is 

 now considered to be resident, having been recorded as breeding here. When 



