NOTES ON THE SUFFOLK LIST OF COLEOPTERA
81
2 June–5 July 2005, one in pitfall trap near L. fuliginosus runs under pine, Ipswich Golf Course, Purdis Farm, VC25 (TM2143). There are no specimens in the Morley Collection. LATRIDIIDAE *Corticaria inconspicua Wollaston Nb The mould-feeding Corticaria inconspicua comes extremely close to C. alleni Johnson, a species only relatively recently described and which I added to our list some years ago (Nash, 1980). C. alleni is usually associated with ancient deciduous woodland whereas inconspicua occurs in a variety of natural habitats – woodland, moorland, fens etc., as well as synanthropic ones. It should be remembered, however, that alleni could be brought into a barn or woodyard feeding on moulds under the bark or on the ends of cut logs etc. so great care is required in the determination of these two beetles. At the time of my original paper on latridiids (loc. cit.) I had not met with inconspicua but shortly after it was published I found it in chicken meal refuse in an old barn at Cottage Farm, Little Blakenham,VC25 (TM1149) on 29 May 1982. To my original published record for alleni (a Notable species) I can now add the following recent ones: 3 July 1998, one on cut log in woodpile, Ickworth Park, VC26 (TL8162). 1 August 2000, one on cut oak plank in woodyard, Shrubland Estate, Coddenham ,VC25 (TM1252). CHRYSOMELIDAE *Luperomorpha xanthodera (Fairmaire) A native of China, L. xanthodera is around 5 mm long with almost black elytra and legs and a yellow-orange thorax. Despite having been described in 1888, its life history still appears to be unknown. Specimens of this exotic flea beetle were first found by Colin Johnson on pale coloured, containerised garden centre roses near Preston in June 2003. They were subsequently found by him in other garden centres in Lancashire, Cheshire, Derbyshire, Yorkshire and Staffordshire – predominantly on pale Rosa sp. but also more rarely on other pale-flowered genera such as Astilbe, Cistus and Helianthemum (Johnson & Booth, 2004). Having kindly been sent specimens by him, I resolved to be on the lookout for the beetle in our county and eventually on 23 May 2007, I captured two (out of four individuals seen) on white patio roses (Pearly Queen) grown as standards at Bypass Nurseries, Capel St Mary near Ipswich, VC25 (TM0937); a further three were seen on 12 June in the same place. When disturbed, most of our native Alticinae (flea beetles) use their often strongly thickened hind femora to leap (“ping”) off at any angle or direction without taking flight. L. xanthodera on the other hand – which has only moderately thickened hind femora - appears (from my limited observations) to launch itself into almost instantaneous, sustained flight redolent of a coccinellid, making it very difficult to capture once disturbed. *Chrysolina americana L. Despite its specific name, this attractive beetle is a native of the Mediterranean area although it has been introduced into America; it feeds principally on
Trans. Suffolk Nat. Soc. 43 (2007)