Other Wildlife
Molluscs, Annelid Worms and Crustaceans
Our most common - or at least most obvious - molluscs are probably the Garden Snail Helix aspersa, together with Brown-lipped Snails Cepaea nemoralis in gardens and areas such as the Aldersbrook Exchange Lands. Similarly, slugs will be familiar to most people from their gardens, and perhaps the most recognisable of these will be the Arion species, either A. ater ater the Large Black Slug, or its variety A. ater rufus the Large Red Slug, which is far less common in this area. There will be other species easily found, but I don't profess to be knowledgable about these. One distinctive species I have been seeing is the Leopard Slug - or Great Grey Slug - Limax maximus, and more recently an invasive species known as the Three-band Garden Slug, which I believe to be Lehmannia valentiana. Pond-living molluscs are particularly under-represented in this list, many were identified by Dereck Mckewan after a pond-dipping exercise during a Wren Group "bio-blitz" on 5th October 2014. The Swan Mussel Anodonta cygnaea has for long been known from the Ornamental Waters in the form of shells of dead animals, but during a period when the waters of the Heronry Pond became very low in 2009, live specimens were found.
Annelid Worms have only been investigated during a pond-dipping exercise carried out under the leadership of Derek McKewan by the Wren Group. He identified three species of the Family Hirudinea - the freshwater leeches - from Perch Pond, Wanstead Park on 5th October 2014.
As for Crustaceans, an American Signal Crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus was found by Heronry Pond in August 2001, and more have been seen since. In August 2004, a number of dismembered crayfish were found in rough grass just to the east of Alexandra Lake on Wanstead Flats. Is it possible that these had been taken from the lake by predators - perhaps gulls? In 2008, a representative from the angling club that fishes the Basin in Wanstead Golf Course reported that over 50,000 (!) had been caught there over the last few years. Chinese Mitten Crab Eriocheir sinensis have been reported from the River Roding as far north as Redbridge roundabout. The local Guardian Series Newspapers on 23rd October 2008 reported that the Environment Agency had found these crabs at Wanstead and further north. The freshwater shrimp Gammarus lacustris, and a water slater Asellus sp. was found in Perch Pond, Wanstead Park during a bio-blitz exercise and identified by Derek McKewan. The common Water Slater Asellus aquaticus is found in my garden pond. Land-based crustaceans are perhaps more familiar and finds so far are the Common Pill Bug Armadillidium vulgare, the Common Shiny Woodlouse Oniscus asellus, which was found in Wanstead Park, the Common Striped Woodlouse Philoscia muscorum, and the Common Rough Woodlouse Porcellio scaber, both present in my garden in Capel Road.
The species are listed in Family order
Molluscs
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Family | Name | Species | Status |
Unionidae | Swan Mussel | Anodonta cygnaea | Heronry Pond 03/09/2009 |
Lymnaeidae | Great Pond Snail | Lymnaea stagnalis | Heronry Pond, Wanstead Park, 25/04/2011 |
Lymnaeidae | Wandering Pond Snail | Lymnaea peregra | Heronry Pond, 23/04/2011; Perch Pond, Wanstead Park 05/10/2014 (bio-blitz) |
Physidae | a bladder snail | Physa sp. | Perch Pond, Wanstead Park 19/06/2010 |
Planorbidae | Ramshorn | Planorbis planorbis | Heronry Pond, 19/08/2012; Perch Pond, Wanstead Park 05/10/2014 (bio-blitz) |
Planorbidae | Great Ramshorn Snail | Planorbarius corneus | Heronry Pond, Wanstead Park, 03/04/2005 |
Agriolimacidae | Grey Garden Slug | Deroceras reticulatum ? | Capel Road garden, 14/03/2014 |
Arionidae | Large Black Slug | Arion ater ater | Sewage Works, 16/09/2000; Sewage Works, 09/07/2006; |
Arionidae | Large Red Slug | Arion ater rufus | Capel Road garden, 02/09/2000 |
Helicidae | Hairy Snail | Trochulus hispidus | Wanstead Flats, 18/02/2016 |
Helicidae | White-lipped Snail | Cepaea hortensis | Capel Road garden, 01/09/2000 |
Helicidae | Brown-lipped Snail | Cepaea nemoralis | Sewage Works, 06/09/2000; Sewage Works, 06/09/2000; Capel Road garden, 08/05/2006 |
Helicidae | Garden Snail | Helix aspersa (Cornu aspersum) | Capel Road garden, 13/06/2006 |
Limacidae | Great Grey or Leopard Slug | Limax maximus | Capel Road garden, 18/05/2006 |
Limacidae | Yellow Slug | Limax flavus ? | Capel Road garden, 14/03/2014 |
Limacidae | Three-band Garden Slug | Lehmannia valentiana ? | Capel Road garden, 14/03/2014 |
Vertiginidae | Cylindrical Whorl Snail | Lauria cylindrica ? | Capel Road garden, 18/03/2015 |
Annelid Worms | |||
Family | Name | Species | Status |
Crustaceans
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Family | Name | Species | Status |
Astacidae | Signal Crayfish | Pacifastacus leniusculus | Found in Heronry Pond, Perch Pond (05/10/2014), and as a discarded dead animal by Alexandra Lake on 24/08/2004; reportedly numerous in the Basin |
Armadillidiidae | Common Pill Bug | Armadillidium vulgare | City of London Cemetery, 04/05/2008; Aldersbrook Exchange Lands, 09/06/2012 |
Asellidae | Water Slater | Asellus aquaticus | Present in my Capel Road garden Pond. An Assellus species was found in Perch Pond, Wanstead Park on 05/10/2014 (bio-blitz) |
Oniscidae | Common Shiny Woodlouse | Oniscus asellus | Wanstead Park, 29/07/2011 |
Philosciidae | Common Striped Woodlouse | Philoscia muscorum | Capel Road garden, 23/07/2006 |
Porcellioniidae | Common Rough Woodlouse | Porcellio scaber | Capel Road garden, 23/07/2006 |
Cladocera (Suborder) | Water Flea | Cladocera | Capel Road garden, 12/11/2015 |
Cladocera | Water Flea | Chydorus sphaericus | Perch Pond, 18/04/2018 |
Cyclopidae | Cyclops or Water Flea | Cyclops | Capel Road garden pond, 06/01/2018 |
Ostracoda (Class) | Seed Shrimp | Ostracod | Capel Road garden, 08/04/2016 |
In addition, the following species have been reported to me, although not personally seen: