Bug hunter finds rare insect more at home in Italian region
A RARE species of insect known to be found only in parts of Sardinia, Sicily and mainland Italy has been found in Guernsey.
The species of harvestman, Dicranopalpus larvatus, was found by amateur entomologist Andy Marquis.
‘It was a bit of luck,’ he said.
‘I saw it and thought, that’s a bit different, it’s boldly coloured, unlike other harvestmen I’ve seen.’
Mr Marquis found the first example of the species on a lunch hour so did not have a pot with him to catch the creature but he managed to take photographs with his phone.
‘The photographs were enough to get experts interested,’ he said.
Mr Marquis’ luck continued when he found another of the species in a different location later on in the same week.
‘I kept hold of that one,’ he said.
Two European experts, Hay Wijnhoven and Jochen Martens, along with help from UK harvestman expert Paul Richards, based at the University of Sheffield, confirmed that it was the rare species.
This species is new to the British Isles and experts are keen to find out what it is doing in Guernsey.
Mr Marquis said it may have come over with trees or another item imported from the Italian regions, or these two populations could be entirely separate from the Continental ones.
Dr Grant Brown at the University of St Andrews is testing the DNA of the Guernsey individuals to see if there is any connection to the European ones and to confirm the photograph identification.
‘I have now collected several specimens from two sites in Guernsey, several miles apart,’ said Mr Marquis.
The harvestman populations have been found at the Guernsey Observatory and Le Foulon cemetery.
‘I’ve always been interested in wildlife and have been doing insects for a few years now, it’s good fun. It’s always quite exciting to have a bug first,’ he said.
Mr Marquis said it was important to look for and identify species on island.
‘You’re not going to find them if you’re not looking and, if we don’t know where they are, we can’t protect them.’
He said it was important to find out where different species are and how many of them there are.
‘Some places you may think you’ll see loads and then there’s actually nothing at all.
‘We need to find out why that is,’ he said.
Mr Marquis said it is important islanders get involved with Guernsey’s nature, including the insects that form such an important part our ecosystems.
He said not using chemical pesticides and herbicides, which kill a lot of insect life, was important, along with keeping gardens a bit less tidy to create areas where nature can thrive.
n Wildlife sightings, including insects, can be reported to the Guernsey Biological Records Centre at www.biologicalrecordscentre.gov.gg or by emailing gsybiorec@cwgsy.net.
Garden safari Pages 20 & 21
