Insects

Considering the vast numbers of insect species that must be present in the area, only a small number are listed here. That is entirely due to my own inexperience. However - as with other aspects of the website - at least some small idea of what may be present is included, enough perhaps to give a "taster" and to encourage others to go out and find whatever is to be found.

During 1994, Colin Plant - then living locally, I believe - recorded some 390 Diptera (fly) species from the City of London Cemetery. These were determined by D.A. Smith, who has kindly allowed the list to be made available HERE. There are some subsequent records from 1995 included. The list is in the form of a .xls document.

Subsequently, local and self-taught naturalist Rose Stephens became interested in the insects to be found near her home in Forest Gate and found numbers of species that I have not seen. These - and a few from other recorders - are appended after my listing.

This list is presented in Natural Order, and all orders of insects listed on this website are accessible from here. Some groups are dealt with more specifically, and these may also be accessed directly from the "Type of Wildlife" list to to the left. Note that Collembola  - Springtails - are not now considered to be insects at all, although they are - as insects are - Arthropods.

 

Name Order and Family Species Locality and first records
Springtails Collembola    
a springtail Dicyrtomidae Dicyrtomina sp. ? Capel Road garden 20/10/2014
a springtail Entomobryidae Orchesella cincta Manor Park Cemetery 29/11/2014 (Rose Stephens); Capel Road garden 01/03/2015
    
Mayflies Ephemeroptera unknown species Heronry Pond 27/08/2005
Damselflies and Dragonflies Odonata    
Stoneflies and Earwigs Dermaptera    
Common Earwig Forficulidae Forficula auricularia  
Grasshoppers, Crickets, Bush-crickets Orthoptera    
Bugs Hemiptera    
Booklice and  Barklice Psocoptera
   
a booklouse Stenopsocidae Liposcelis bostrychophila ? Capel Road house 06/11/2013
Thrips Thysanoptera unknown species Capel Road garden 23/07/2013
Beetles Coleoptera    
       
Alderflies, Lacewings, etc. Neuroptera    
an alderfly Sialidae Sialis lutaria Wanstead Park, 24/04/2005
a green lacewing Chrysopidae Chrysopa (perla?) 14/05/2014
a green lacewing Chrysopidae Chrysopa sp. Common, 17/06/2005
a scorpion fly Panorpidae Panorpa sp. Wanstead Park, 09/06/2001
Ants and Velvet Ants Hymenoptera - various    
Large Velvet Ant Mutillidae Mutilla europaea Wanstead Park, 13/09/2008
an ant Formicidae Formica cunicularia ? Wanstead Flats 09/04/2010; Sewage Works site 18/06/2015; Capel Road garden 30/06/2016; City of London Cemetery, 11/07/2016; Manor Park Station 14/05/2017; 01/05/2022
Yellow Meadow Ant Formicidae Lasius flavus Sewage Works site 22/03/2016; Wanstead Park; Wanstead Flats
Black Garden Ant Formicidae Lasius niger Capel Road garden, 04/06/2011
Potter Wasps Hymenoptera - Eumenidae    
a potter wasp Eumenidae Ancistrocerus trifasciatus Capel Road garden, 24/05/2015
Wasps Hymenoptera - Apidae
   
Hornet Vespidae Vespa crabro Capel Road garden, 29/08/2006; Wanstead Park, 11/10/2008; also seen in City of London Cemetery
Red Wasp Vespidae Vespula rufa Capel Road garden, 08/05/2011
German Wasp Vespidae Vespula germanica Wanstead Park, near Bullet Hill, 29/09/2009
Common Wasp Vespidae Vespula vulgaris Wanstead Flats, 20/08/2004; Wanstead Park 09/07/2007; Capel Road garden, 29/08/2006
Ruby-tailed Wasp Chrysididae Chrysis ignita Capel Road garden 11/07/2019
a digger wasp Sphecidae Cerceris sp. ? Capel Road garden 28/07/2005
Sand Tailed Digger Wasp Sphecidae Cerceris (arenaria) Wanstead Flats, 14/07/2005
Ornate Tailed Digger Wasp Sphecidae Cerceris rybyensis Wanstead Flats, E. end of Alex. Lake, 17/07/2016
a digger wasp Sphecidae unknown species (possibly Mellinus arvensis) Wanstead Flats, E. end of Alex. Lake, 17/06/2017
Bee Wolf Crabronidae Philanthus triangulum Wanstead Flats 14/07/2005; Capel Road garden 09/07/2007; Wanstead Park, 31/07/2007
Bees Hymenoptera - Apidae    
Wasps Hymenoptera
   
a parasitic wasp Gasteruptiidae Gasteruption jaculator Capel Road garden 18/07/2005
an ichneumon Ichneumonoidae Pimpla hypochondriaca Capel Road garden 16/05/2007
an ichneumon Ichneumonoidae Ichneumon stramentarius City of London Cemetery, 06/04/2015
an ichneumon Ichneumonoidae Netelia sp. (?) Capel Road garden 14/04/2006
an ichneumon Ichneumonoidae Netelia sp. (?) Capel Road garden, 11/03/2012
an ichneumon Ichneumonoidae Amblyteles armatorius (?) Capel Road garden 04/04/2007
Sawflys Symphyta    
Berberis Sawfly Argidae Arge berberidis (?) Capel Road garden 13/05/2006
Bramble Sawfly Argidae Arge cyanocrocea Capel Road garden 06/05/2011
Rose Sawfly Argidae Arge ochropus Capel Road garden 21/08/2006 & annually
Large Rose Sawfly Argidae Arge pagana (?) Capel Road garden 07/06/2007
Honeysuckle Sawfly Cimbicidae Zaraea lonicerae  Capel Road garden, possibly on 02/05/2006;  6/7/8th April 2011
Solomon's Seal Sawfly Tenthredinidae Phymatocera aterrima City of London Cemetery 09/07/2010
Iris Sawfly Tenthredinidae Rhadinoceraea micans Wanstead Park 07/07/2002
Oak Sawfly Tenthredinidae Periclista lineolata Wanstead Park 11/05/2009
Woolly Alder Sawfly Tenthredinidae Eriocampa ovata (?) Wanstead Park 20/09/2005
a sawfly Tenthredinidae Tenthredopsis (litterata) Sewage Works 25/05/2015
Green Sawfly Tenthredinidae Rhogogaster viridis Wanstead Park 21/06/2007
Moths Lepidoptera    
Butterflies Lepidoptera    
Caddis Flies Trichoptera    
a caddis fly Leptoceridae Mystacides azurea Capel Road garden, 19/08/2005
a caddis fly Leptoceridae Mystacides longicornis Capel Road garden, 28/06/2005
a caddis fly Limnephilidae Glyphotaelius pellucidus ? Capel Road garden, 19/08/2005
a caddis fly Limnephilidae Limnephilus affinis ? Capel Road garden, 19/08/2005
a caddis fly Limnephilidae Limnephilus lunatus ? Capel Road garden, 01/07/2013
True Flies Diptera - various    
Spotted Cranefly Tipulidae Nephrotoma appendiculata Wanstead Park, 21/05/2009
a crane-fly Tipulidae Nephrotoma quadrifaria Wanstead Flats, 07/10/2014
a crane-fly Tipulidae Tipula maxima Wanstead Park, 05/08/2011
a crane-fly Tipulidae Tipula (vernalis) City of London Cemetery, 19/05/2010
a crane-fly Tipulidae Tipula (confusa) Wanstead Park, 05/10/2014
a crane-fly Tipulidae Tipula (oleracea) Capel Road garden 18/08/2012
a crane-fly Tipulidae Tipula laterallis Old Sewage Works site, 31/08/2006
a crane-fly Limoniidae Limonia sp. ? Capel Road garden 25/05/2012
a March fly Bibionidae Bibio lanigerus Wanstead Park, 09/04/2015
St. Mark's Fly Bibionidae Bibio marci Wanstead Park 23/04/2005; also on Wanstead Flats
an owl midge Psychodidae unknown species Capel Road garden, 10/10/2014
an owl midge Psychodidae unknown species City of London Cemetery 27/01/2015
an owl midge Psychodidae unknown species Capel Road garden, 29/01/2015
a phantom cranefly Ptychopteridae Ptychoptera contaminata Wanstead Park, 17/05/2011
a phantom cranefly Ptychopteridae Ptychoptera sp. Wanstead Park, 20/07/2013
a non-biting midge Chironomidae Chironomus plumosus Wanstead Park, 07/05/2006
a non-biting midge Chironomidae Chironomus sp. Capel Road garden 14/04/2006
a soldier fly Stratiomyidae Chloromyia formosa Chalet Wood, Wanstead Park, 21/06/2007
a soldier fly Stratiomyidae Sargus bipunctatus ? The Temple, Wanstead Park, 18/09/2005
Bee-fly Bombyliidae Bombylius major Wanstead Park, 05/04/2008; 2009; 2010
horse fly Therevidae Thereva nobilitata ? Wanstead Flats, 04/07/2005
a robber fly Asilidae Dioctria sp.? Capel Road garden 20/06/2007
Semaphore Fly Dolichopodidae Poecilobothrus nobilitatus Capel Road garden, 17/06/2007
Hoverflies Diptera - Syrphidae    
True Flies - continued Diptera - various    
a conopid fly Conopididae Sicus ferrugineus Wanstead Park, 16/06/2007
Womanly Bow Wing Pallopteridae Palloptera (Toxoneura) muliebris Lorne Road garden, Forest Gate, 02/10/2014 (Rose Stephens); Capel Road garden, 25/10/2014
a picture-wing fly Ulidiidae Seioptera vibrans Capel Road garden, 06/06/2018
a picture-wing fly Tephritidae Tephritis sp. Capel Road garden, 22/04/2006
a picture-wing fly Tephritidae Anomoia permunda Capel Road garden, 25/07/2007
a fruit fly Chloropidae Thaumatomyia notata ? Capel Road garden, 02/04/2015
a fruit fly Drosophilidae unknown species Capel Road garden, 23/03/2015
Golden Dung-fly Scathophagidae Scathophaga stercoraria Capel Road garden, 20/04/2011
a house-fly Anthomydiidae Anthomyia pluvialis Wanstead Park, 12/05/2008
Tiger Fly Muscidae Coenosia sp.
Capel Road garden, 09/06/2006
Orange Muscid Fly Muscidae Phaonia (pallida) Capel Road garden 18/03/2015
Bluebottle Calliphoridae Calliphora sp. Capel Road garden, 13/05/2006; Wanstead Park, 21/06/2007
Greenbottle Calliphoridae Lucilia caesar Capel Road garden, 31/08/2000
a flesh fly Sarcophagidae Sarcophaga carnaria Wanstead Park, 29/07/2005; Sewage Works, 02/06/2006; Capel Road garden, 05/06/2006; Wanstead Flats, 07/06/2007
a Tachinid fly Tachinidae Tachina fera ? Capel Road garden, 20/08/2004; Bush Wood, 05/05/2008; Wanstead Park, 01/08/2011
a Tachinid fly Tachinidae unknown species Sewage Works site, 26/06/2005
       
    
Below is a list of species that I have not personally found or seen:
    
Name Order and Family Species Locality and first records
Springtails Collembola    
a springtail Dicyrtomidae Dicyrtomina saundersi Manor Park Cemetery 24/01/2016 (Rose Stephens)
a springtail Entomobryidae Entomobrya sp. (multifasciata?) Lorne Road garden 27/02/2015 (Rose Stephens)
a springtail Entomobryidae Orchesella villosa 25/10/2014 (Rose Stephens)
a springtail Tomoceridae Tomocerus longicornis Manor Park Cemetery 25/01/2016 (Rose Stephens)
a springtail Tomoceridae Tomocerus minor Lorne Road garden 17/02/2015 (Rose Stephens)
    
a barklouse Caeciliusidae Valenzuela flavidus Manor Park Cemetery 14/10/2014 (Rose Stephens)
       
Ants and Velvet Ants Hymenoptera - various    
Slender Ant ? Formicidae Leptothorax acervorum Woodcote Road house, 29/11/2014 (Roger Snook)
Wasps Hymenoptera - Apidae
   
a digger wasp Sphecidae Pemphredon inornata Lorne Road E7, 03/03/2016 (Rose Stephens)
an ichneumon Ichneumonoidae Gelis sp. Lorne Road, Forest Gate 12/01/2015 (Rose Stephens)
an ichneumon Ichneumonoidae Dusona sp. 13/05/2014 (Rose Stephens)
an ichneumon Ichneumonoidae Ophion obscura Lorne Road, Forest Gate, 25/10/2014 (Rose Stephens)
True Flies Diptera - various    
a March fly Bibionidae Bibio (johannis ?) Wanstead Flats  11/04/2016 (Rose Stephens)
a winter gnat Trichoceridae Trichocera sp. Lorne Road garden 01/12/2014 (Rose Stephens)
a mosquito Culicidae Culiseta annulata Manor Park Cemetery 29/11/2014 (Rose Stephens)
a biting midge Ceratopogonidae unknown species City of London Cemetery 24/02/2015 (Rose Stephens)
a spear-winged fly Lonchopteridae Lonchoptera (lutea or bifurcata) Manor Park Cemetery, 28/01/2016 (Rose Stephens)
a picture-wing fly Opomyzidae Geomyza tripunctata ? Wanstead Flats 12/04/2016 (Rose Stephens)
a fly Heleomyzidae Suillia variegata Wanstead Flats 11/03/2016 (Rose Stephens)
Spotted-wing Drosophila Drosophilidae Drosophila suzukii St Mary's Wanstead, 07/02/2016 KH/(Rose Stephens)
a fly Ephydridae Discomyza incurva ? East bank of Roding 31/03/2016 (Rose Stephens)