Llanelli Naturalists Newsletter - December 1984
Ian Morgan

Some results (dragonflies, Orthoptera, Syrphidae) of the 1984 season are given in this Newsletter; the butterflies and miscellaneous invertebrates will follow in the Spring (March) Newsletter.

We need more assistance with the recording of other groups, for as well as continuing with the recording of the groups outlined above, we propose to (amongst other things) prepare distribution maps for the butterflies in Carmarthenshire, and to perhaps start recording of other groups such as ants, bumble bees and snails (actually the bumble bees of Carmarthenshire are quite well covered through the efforts of Mrs. I.M. Vaughan and, Mr. and Mrs. Tallowin and others). We must start seriously on the moths - any volunteers please?, the greatest effort should be made to start on this group. Also the beetles deserve coverage, Mr. Dafydd Davies has worked on this group in the North-east of the county and perhaps also in the Pendine area, but what about a volunteer for the South-east?

Remember we are all beginners at some stage regarding various invertebrate groups - one can always learn and make good records. Marine recording and the recording of fishes also deserve attention. I hope that at least one or two Llanelli Naturalists members will come forward and offer to help with one of the above groups.

A new book on butterflies - "The Field Guide to the Butterflies and other insects of Britain", is well worth reading. Coverage of butterflies is complete, that of moths partial and other groups necessarily superficial, but the book is certainly excellent with beautiful and accurate illustrations, It is gratifying to see the efforts of some of us in recording butterflies in South-east Carmarthenshire during the 1970's coming to fruition with our area marked off on the distribution maps, e.g. the Marbled White and Marsh Fritillary - but why the omission of the Silver-studded Blue and the Pearl-bordered Fritillary, both of which occur at Tywyn and Pembrey Burrows and Pembrey Forest? (The book is published by the Readers Digest Assoc. Ltd.).

Dark Bush Crickets were still singing around Denham Ave., Llanelli during the evening of 13th October and turning to rarer Orthopterans, given here is what the Welsh antiquary Edward Llwyd wrote about the Mole Cricket (Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa) in a letter to John Ray from Oxford on 12th December 1693:

“I observed near Kidwelly, in Caermarthenshire, this last summer that the Gryllotalpa (mole crickets) live there in the sealands that are covered every tide. I brought one of them with me, and cannot find that they differ from those of the Midland counties. In Wales they are called 'Rhing y Lês' i.e. Stridor aestivitatis” (Derham, Philosophical Letters, 1718, p 273).

The fact that the Mole Cricket had a Welsh name suggests that it was a familiar insect (the word 'Rhing' may be related to 'rhino', a 'creak'; but as for 'Lês' I can offer no explanation). The Mole Cricket is now exceedingly rare in Britain.

Finally 1984 saw only a few Clouded Yellows (mostly September) unlike the bumper year of 1983, so if any member recorded any, I should be grateful for the records in preparation for the forthcoming articles on 'Butterflies in Carmarthenshire' and 'Butterflies 1984' in the next newsletter. Any other interesting butterfly/invertebrate records are similarly welcomed,

I.K. Morgan, 31st October, 1984