News from MarLIN - The Marine Life Information Network for Britain and Ireland

Cutpurse takes the gold!

2012-07-25 13:11:15

Emerging from obscurity, ten previously unnamed British species – five of them marine – are now enjoying some long-awaited limelight as the results of the competition to give them popular names were announced today (Monday 23rd July). The overall winner was the �cutpurse wasp�, hitherto known only as Aporus unicolor " a wasp that breaks into the burrow of the purse web spider, paralyses it and uses the still-living body as a host for its own eggs.

Other winners included the solar-powered sea slug, corrugated scarab and semaphore fly, previously known as Elysia viridis, Brindalus porcicollis and Poecilobothrus nobilatus respectively. It�s hoped that their more memorable (and easier to pronounce) new names will find them places in the popular imagination alongside species such as the kingfisher, dormouse and bee orchid.

Thousands of people submitted entries to this year�s Name a Species competition, which again invited the public to give popular names to ten British species that have until now only had scientific names. The entries were judged by our panel: Dr Peter Brotherton, Natural England�s Head of Profession for Biodiversity; Dr Keith Hiscock, Associate Fellow at the Marine Biological Association in Plymouth; George Monbiot, author and Guardian columnist; and Matt Shardlow, Chief Executive of Buglife.

Matt Shardlow said: "Each of these animals is a small miracle, from the solar-powered sea slug that adopts bits of the plants it eats so it can turn the sun�s energy into food, to the cutpurse wasp with her skilled assassination of purse-web spiders in their underground lairs. People should be on first name terms with these little beauties, and now they can be".

George Monbiot said: "We looked for names which were both functional and delightful, and I hope people will agree that we found some great examples. Ten more species now have memorable and evocative names, which, I hope, will mean that they are more likely to be valued and protected."

The ten winning names are:

Royal flush sea slug (Akera bullata): Sea slug that escapes by flapping and exuding purple ink.
Cutpurse wasp (Aporus unicolor): A spider-hunting wasp
Corrugated scarab (Brindalus porcicollis): A shiny grooved scarab
Spiny mudlark (Brissopsis lyrifera): Spiny urchin in the mud
Solar-powered sea slug (Elysia viridis): Photosynthesising sea slug
Elusive knapweed bee (Halictus eurygnathus): A lost bee of the South Downs
Clock face anemone (Peachia cylindrica): 12-tentacled lurker in the sand
Wannabee fly (Pocota personata): Hoverfly disguised as a bumblebee
Semaphore fly (Poecilobothrus nobilitatus): A glittering green fly which waves its white tips to attract mates
Crab hacker barnacle (Sacculina carcini): A parasitic barnacle that takes over its crab host

Keith Hiscock added: “The winners have suggested names that help to ‘tell a story’ about the biology or appearance of a species which will, hopefully, be memorable and informative to those who enjoy peering into rockpools or peeping under boulders on the seashore or who get into the water snorkelling or diving.”

This is the third year of the competition, which was originally inspired by Natural England�s Lost Life – a report that showed that nearly 500 species have become extinct in England in the last 200 years " and the subsequent call by George Monbiot for a competition to enable the public to become more familiar with the species that we are in danger of losing. Today�s ten new species names were selected from thousands of entries by the judges.

Peter Brotherton concluded: "Species extinctions don�t just happen in rainforests, they also occur in the UK. These losses matter and often involve species that are unknown and unloved. This competition attracted entries from thousands of people of all ages, showing the real interest that exists in all of England�s wildlife, from sea slugs to spiders. These species have new names that resonate and delight, giving me real hope that they will become better known and have a bright future."

Your chance to name a species

2012-06-19 12:06:43

Five of the ten species in this year’s Name a species competition from Natural England are marine and include sea slugs and an anemone.

This year Natural England are hoping for even more playful and clever suggestions based on the species’ physical characteristics, behaviour and more.

Dr Keith Hiscock (MBA Associate Fellow) is on the judging panel and will be looking at entries for the five marine species:

Follow the links for further information on these species on the MarLIN website.

See the Guardian web site for more information.

Bioblitz Mount Edgcumbe

2011-09-20 13:01:14

Friday 30th September 2011, 2:30 pm - Mount Edgcumbe

Last year we found over 1,000 dierent species and we are hoping to beat this! Beginning at 11.00 on Friday 30th September, finishing at 13.00 on Saturday the 1st October. Come and join us throughout the FREE event, but activities will be taking place for everyone at the following times:

More details can be found on the Bioblitz Mount Edgcumbe page.

Gloves off: scientists chart Chinese mitten crab invasion

2011-09-20 13:00:05

Become a nature detective and record the invasion of the alien Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) in rivers of England and Wales.

Scientists from a consortium of UK research institutes, including London�s Natural History Museum are asking the public to become nature detectives this autumn to better understand the full extent of the Chinese mitten crab invasion and the threat these crustaceans pose to our rivers and waterways. Anglers, waterway workers, boating enthusiasts and other nature lovers can use an online survey, to identify and record any sightings of the alien species. The recordings will be used by scientists to clarify the full distribution of the exotic crabs in English and Welsh rivers.

Chinese mitten crabs are now one of the most notorious aquatic invasive species featuring in the international list of the world�s 100 worst invasive species and they are here in the UK. They are regarded as a pest because they cause immense economic and ecological damage such as damage to fishing gear and unprotected river banks, block water systems as well as compete with native species for food and habitat.

Current records show that mitten crabs have established populations in the Thames, Medway, Ouse Washes, Humber and the Dee Estuary. There are a number of areas where our records are incomplete. Researchers are particularly interested in any sightings in the Thames west of Windsor to beyond Reading; Tyne, Tees and Wear in the North East; Dee and Merseyside and from the Severn Estuary to the Isle of Wight in the South West. However records from other rivers and watersheds are also most welcome.

Becky Seeley, Marine Life Records Officer at the Marine Biological Association said "These crabs can be quite large and conspicuous and by helping us track them, the public and river users in particular will be doing something positive for the environment by helping to tackle their further spread."

Research and Government agencies and Nature lovers can report their finds by phone, email or online and upload their photographs by visiting www.mittencrabs.org.uk.

To find out more about mitten crabs and the survey visit

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/research-curation/staff-directory/zoology/p-clark/index.html and www.marlin.ac.uk/marine_aliens.

Welcome to hotlips, zipperback and the gangly lancer

2011-07-27 08:23:00

Ten species enter the English language for the first time as winners of the 2011 'Name a Species' competition are announced.

Emerging from obscurity, ten previously unnamed British species are now enjoying some long-awaited limelight as the results of the competition to give them popular names were announced today (Thursday 21st July).

Thousands of people submitted entries in response to the 'Name a Species' competition organised by Natural England and The Guardian. The competition invited the public to give popular names to ten British species that have until now been listed only in Latin.

The overall winner, suggested by 12 year-old Rachael Blackman, was �hotlips� � Octospora humosa � a disc-shaped fungus that is a vivid orange-red and often resembles puckered lips. Among this year�s winners is the shimmering-ruby tail � nee Chrysis fulgida � a species of cuckoo-wasp named for its metallic-rainbow colouring. The fountain anemone, Ascot hat and scarlet lady were previously only known as Sagartiogeton laceratus, Xerocomus bubalinus and Coryphella browni, respectively. They now join the ranks of the more familiar bluebell, bladderwrack and Devil�s coach-horse, having popular names that describe their characteristics.

Dr Pete Brotherton, Head of Biodiversity for Natural England, said: �This competition set out to inspire the nation, drawing attention to some less well-known species that have, until now, been without a common name. The public have come up trumps with some vivid and imaginative suggestions to rescue these forgotten species from obscurity.�

The ten winning names announced today are:

Shimmering ruby-tail (Chrysis fulgida): a shiny bright wasp
Zipperback (Chrysotoxum elegans): one of nature�s gardeners
Hotlips (Octospora humosa): a red high pressured fungus
Ascot hat (Xerocomus bubalinus): a tree-nurturing mushroom
Sunburst lichen (Lichenomphalia alpina): a lichen that thinks it�s a mushroom
Neptune�s heart sea squirt (Phallusia mammillata): Britain�s largest sea squirt
Scarlet lady (Coryphella browni): a recycling seaslug
Fountain anemone (Sagartiogeton laceratus): a many tentacle anemone
Serpent�s table brittlestar (Ophiura albida): a snaky star in the sand
Gangly lancer (Nymphon gracile): an undersea spider with a straw

Today�s ten new species names were selected from over 6,000 entries by a panel of five judges: Dr Peter Brotherton of Natural England, Dr Keith Hiscock of the Marine Biological Association of the UK, Liz Holden of the British Mycological Society, Matt Shardlow of Buglife and George Monbiot author and Guardian columnist.

Dr Brotherton continued: �Biodiversity is the foundation of our own existence and we cannot afford to take it for granted, which is why we are getting the issue out from under the microscope and into the limelight. We�re delighted that this competition has continued to inspire the public�s imagination and encouraged so many to find out more about the amazing range of wildlife we have in this country.�

Adam Vaughan, editor of environmentguardian.co.uk, said: "The fact that a 12 year-old girl won the Name a Species competition puts paid to the lie that today's young generation are not interested in nature. By dubbing a fungus with the witty, memorable and salient name of 'hotlips', Rachael Blackman has probably done more for the conservation of Octospora humosa than any naturalist before her. The quality of this year's entries was superb and I hope Neptune�s heart sea squirt, the gangly lancer, and shimmering ruby-tail will soon find a place in our collective cultural memory."

This is the second year of the competition, which was originally inspired by Natural England�s Lost Life - a report that showed that nearly 500 species have become extinct in England in the last 200 years � and the subsequent call by George Monbiot, author and Guardian comment writer, for a competition to enable the public to become more familiar with the species that we are in danger of losing.