Spread of Ant Lions

[fairplay]

Does anybody here know the current state of play for Ant Lion (Euroleon nostras) in Britain ?
I ask because there is a report of larvae (plus the craters I assume) being found in Norfolk on the coast a few years ago, but the species has yet to be confirmed as E.nostras.
There is also rumour of ant lions being found on the south coast but no mention if it was larval pits or an adult on the wing.
Due to lack of anymore news about these 2 sites, it's possible somebody took some larvae from Suffolk to try to start a new colony, but failed.

The first confirmed record in Britain is from Suffolk in 1931 but as it was an adult it wasn't known if it had flown from the continent or had bred here.
At the time, an appeal was made to local naturalists to keep a look out for the distinctive pits the larva dig in fine sand to catch their prey but nobody found any.
As far as I know, the pits my friend and I found at Dunwich Heath to the north of Minsmere Nature Reserve in May 1986 are the first to confirm breeding in the UK and nearly 10 years later they were found at RSPB Minsmere.

Now they are quite common all along the Suffolk Coast, but what I'd really like to know is how far inland they are spreading ?
The limiting factor must be the type of sand in the area - if no bare patches of sandy soil free from rabbit disturbance are present, then the ant lion will not be able to lay eggs (I'm no expert, so I assume mum lays eggs which hatch into larvae which turn into 'instars' then metamorphisize [spelt wrong, I know!] into a lace wing type insect)

Also if the sand is too coarse, the angle of the pits will be wrong and the prey will not come tumbling down, so mum will not be laying there, thank you very much.
So fine (wind blown ?) sand it has to be then.

The furthest inland I have found the pits were just over 5 miles at a place called Snape on a roadside verge last year, and last week, after I had cut back shrubs on a road side nature reserve (for a rare fungus) I discovered fresh pits over 8 miles inland. I had cut the shrubs back in late April and whilst checking for signs of the fungus, noticed craters had appeared already in the space of about 5 weeks.

Neil.

[triops]

Hi Fairplay,

I reported the first sighting of Antlions in Norfolk in August 2005, published in the Entomologists Record.
It is indeed Euroleon nostras, and I have checked the colony every year, and tried without success to find it elsewhere on the Norfolk coast or further inland.
I will carry on looking!
I'd like to get in touch with you personally, but don't know how yet.

[eucera]

...and I was in the team that found the beast breeding at Minsmere (and in several other sites in the area)

See: Cottle, R.; Edwards, M.; Roberts, S. 1996. Euroleon nostras (Fourcroy, 1785) (Neur.: Myrmeleontidae) confirmed as breeding in Britain. Entomologist's Record & Journal of Variation 108: 299-300, plus colour plates

[fairplay]

Originally Posted by triops

Hi Fairplay,

I reported the first sighting of Antlions in Norfolk in August 2005, published in the Entomologists Record.
It is indeed Euroleon nostras, and I have checked the colony every year, and tried without success to find it elsewhere on the Norfolk coast or further inland.
I will carry on looking!
I'd like to get in touch with you personally, but don't know how yet.

Thanks very much for confirming that for me, and I guess it's only right that Norfolk share some of Suffolk's rarities.
Actually, this is good news because if they were all confined to Suffolk, especially on the coast, then if they were to become host to a virus or parasite, the whole colony could be lost - that is why it is probably best I do not disclose 6+ figure OS grid refs of the inland sites for fear someone could take an entire colony away for a translocation to their own county. These remote locations could be vital for ensuring their survival.

If you feel you need to contact me, you can PM me or use a screened email address fungi&sns.org.uk (replace the & for @)

Neil.

[fairplay]

I've just returned home from visiting Norwich, decided to try a scenic route home, found a nice sandy verge on the Suffolk side of the River Waveney, thought to myself, hmmm ...... this could be perfect for Ant Lions if it wasn't so exposed to the wind, then lo and behold - a new colony !

There were over 30 definite craters/pits, but only 3 looked like they were fresh, the rest looked like they have been bashed about by the wind. I couldn't hang around long enough to see if they were occupied, but if so, then there is no reason why the adults have not reached Redgrave and Lopham Fen as when I did a survey for the Pepperpot Fungus last year, I found out this sandy outcrop stretches all the way from North Lowestoft to the source of the Waveney at Redgrave.

This sand may be glacial till left over from the retreating Glaciers and would be different to the sand on the Sandlings near to the coast, but it is probable the size of the grains are the same.

So then, are Ant Lions established in the Brecks after all ? It would only be a short hop from Redgrave to the Brecks and the experts have always been speculating as to why no colony's have ever been found in the Brecks.
Perhaps they simply haven't been looking hard enough ?

Neil.

[Ukwildlifeo]

What time of year is best to see the adults and/or larvae