Southern Marsh Orchids

Southern Marsh Orchids

Friday 8 July 2016

Another Andromeda Lacebug!

Bizarrely I was just about to post about this species when I noticed Howard had beaten me to it! I found this one on 15th June in Llandaff North. It was actually on a potted cypress and I didn't see any Pieris nearby - but I'm sure there would have been some not too far away.


The scientific name, Stephanitis takeyai, hints at the Japanese origin of this lacebug. It was first recorded in the UK in 1999 but is evidently spreading rapidly. Yet another insect to arrive with the horticultural trade.

The LERC Wales Data Tool shows only one record for Wales, as Howard has mentioned, also in the 10km square ST17. I contacted Jim Flanagan, the national recorder for plantbugs & allies,  who confirmed he didn't have any Welsh records on his database, though he did have 15 records from England.

1 comment:

  1. I counted a 100 on a part of the small Pieris I have in the garden. If their distribution is uniform across the plant then there are likely to be 400-500 of the little beasties.

    Anybody want some?

    ReplyDelete