1. Magdalis memnonia Gyllenhal (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) (Allen, A.A. 1972).
This was purely beginners luck! On 12 June 1971 I discovered a largish black
weevil crawling up a grass stem in Friston Forest, East Sussex. All attempts to identify
the species using British keys failed but the key in Reitter’s Fauna Germanica
suggested that it might be the non-British weevil Magdalis memnonia. A visit to A. A.
Allen in Blackheath Park with my friend Roger Dumbrell produced a positive result
and I had added my first insect to the British list!
2. Ptinus dubius Sturm (Coleoptera: Ptinidae) (Hodge, P. J. & Parry, J. A., 1982).
Beaten off pine on 9 June 1979 at Mildenhall Warren, East Suffolk, TL7474,.
Although I was not actually responsible for finding the first specimen, John Parry
insisted that I should be joint author for this discovery!
3. Lamprochromus strobli Parent (Diptera: Dolichopodidae) (Hodge, P.J. 1988).
On 4 June 1987; Lewes (now part of the Railway Land Local Nature Reserve), East
Sussex, TQ419099, two males were swept in wet woodland containing several
calcareous springs dominated by Crack Willow Salix fragilis.
4. Tetartopeus rufonitidus (Reitter) (Formerly Lathrobium fennicum Renkonen) (Coleoptera
Staphylinidae) (Hodge, P.J. 1992).
On 12 April 1992 a male was collected from litter at the margin of a reed-bed at Rye
Harbour, East Sussex, TQ931192. This was apparently the first record for the British
mainland. This species was introduced as new to Britain on the strength of a male and
female collected from the margin of the Great Pond, Tresco, Isles of Scilly on 6 April 1967
(MacKechnie-Jarvis, 1968).
5. Hercostomus verbekei Pollet (Diptera: Dolichopodidae) (Pollet, M. 1993 & Hodge, P. 1993a).
Two males of what were believed to be Hercostomus plagiatus Loew were swept
off the bank of the River Lark, Barton Mills, East Suffolk, TL7274 on 17 July 1987.
In the early 1990s Marc Pollet appealed to British dipterists for the loan of
specimens of Hercostomus plagiatus Loew since he was describing a new but closely
related species from Continental Europe. At that time my Males from Barton Mills
proved to be the only confirmed examples of H. verbekei from the British Isles.
6. Syntormon silvianus Pârvu. (now S. submonilis Negrobov) (Diptera: Dolichopodidae)
(Hodge, P.J. 1993b).
This is a split of the widely distributed Syntormon monile (Haliday in Walker),
separated on several characters, but especially in the relative proportions of the
front tarsal segments. Both species are widespread in Britain.
7. Haematopota subcylindrica Pandellé (Diptera, Tabanidae) (Hodge, P.J. & Grayson, 1996).
Whilst recording insects at Rye Harbour LNR near Camber Castle, East Sussex,
TQ920183, on 28 June 1994 a female Haematopota was swept from a dyke and
collected. This subsequently proved to be a species not previously recorded from
Britain. Another previously unidentified female from Pett Level, TQ901144,
collected on 6 July 1987, belonged to the same species. Andrew Grayson also
recorded a female from Fingringhoe Wick LNR, North Essex on 17 July 1995.
8. Bruchidius varius (Olivier) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) (Hodge, P.J. 1997).
A female Bruchidius swept near the summit of Ditchling Beacon, East Sussex,
TQ331131 on 9 October 1994 was immediately recognised as new to Britain but
proved difficult to separate from another non-British species. However, two males
were eventually located by David Porter on 2 September 1996, on red clover
growing on a road verge in Novington Lane near Plumpton, TQ372133, 3 miles east
of Ditchling Beacon where the first female was discovered. I collected some males
from this site on 18 September 1996 and confirmed the species as Bruchidius varius.
The beetle has subsequently spread rapidly and is now common in many locations
in the south of England.
9. Nysius senecionis (Olivier) (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae) (Hodge, P.J. 1997).
Nysius species are mainly ground-dwelling but N. senecionis is an exception and is
frequently found on flowers of ragwort or fleabane. Since the first examples were
discovered on 20 September 1992 at Holman Wood, East Sussex, TQ794201, this
bug has spread rapidly and now occurs commonly, at least in the southern half of
Britain.
10. Fieberiella florii (Stål) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) (Hodge, P.J. 1999)
Whilst carrying out an insect survey for Guinness Brewery on 16 September 1998 I
swept some very active plant hoppers off cherry saplings in an area known as the
Guinness Mounds at Park Royal, Ealing, Middlersex, TQ191823 that were
subsequently determined as F. florii. This species has subsequently been recorded
from a few other places in the London area.
11. Alaobia linderi (Brisout de Barneville in Grenier) (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) (Hodge,
P.J. 2003).
On 8 April 1998 a number of small rove beetles were sieved from pigeon droppings
inside a disused building, thought to be a World War two radar implacement, on a
ledge near the top of the cliffs at Newhaven, East Sussex, TQ448000. These were
subsequently identified as Atheta linderi, a little known species from south-east
Europe. The entrance to the building has subsequently been sealed and is no
longer accessable.
12. Macrotylus horvathi (Reuter) (Hemiptera: Miridae) (Hodge, P.J. 2006a).
Found at Queenborough, East Kent (TQ916717) on 22 July 2005 in considerable
numbers on black horehound Ballota nigra. A specimen was exhibited as new to
Britain at the 2005 BENHS Annual Exhibition where I was approached by Peter Kirby
who told me he’d collected the same species in 2004, whilst surveying for the high speed rail link in East Kent. However, he was not permitted to divulge his discovery and granted
permission for me to publish my exhibit as a species new to Britain.
13. Tephritis divisa Rondani (Diptera: Tephritidae) (May, P. & Hodge, P. 2006).
Discovered new to Britain during an AES field meeting at Bersted Brooks Local Nature Reserve near Bognor Regis, West Sussex, SU937013 on 13 August 2005.
Subsequently a specimen labelled “Newhaven, East Sussex, 2 August 2002”, was found misidentified in the collection of the late A. W. Jones. The species now commonly occurs in south-east England wherever its host plant Bristly Ox-tongue
Helminthotheca echioides grows.
14. Astrapaeus ulmi Rossi (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) (Hodge, P.J. 2006b, Hance, D. 2007).
On 16 May 2004 I collected a male of a shining black rove beetle with red elytra from under a stone on the Newhaven undercliff, East Sussex, TQ449001. This remained unidentified until my friend David Hance telephoned me a year later to
tell me he’d discovered a beetle new to Britain at Newhaven. His specimen, also a male, was identical to mine and was subsequently identified as A. ulmi, a native of south-eastern Europe. The species has been sloe to spread but examples have since been observed at both Lewes and Brighton.
15. Orthotylus junipericola (Reuter) (Hemiptera: Miridae) (Hodge, P.J. 2009).
Discovered on 15 September 2008 at Kingston-upon Thames, Surrey, TQ62257395, on an open grown Lawson’s cypress in the cemetery. It was exhibited at the 2008
BENHS exhibition as the second locality for Orthotylus caprai Wagner but has since been re-identified as the first British record for O. junipericola.
16. Iteaphila arundela (Shamshev & Sinclair) (now Paraiteaphila arundela) (Diptera: Empididae) (Shamshev, I.V. & Sinclair, B.J. 2009).
On 1 April 1988 I swept a male of tiny empid fly off Perennial Dog’s Mercury Mercurealis perennis growing under mature beech trees in Arundel Park, West Sussex, TQ005108. This keyed out to the genus Iteaphila which was not represented
in Britain. However all attempts to identify the species failed and I was advised to wait until this little known genus was revised. On 2 May 1990 I discovered several females by sweeping flowers of Field Maple Acer campestre and on subsequent visits I accumulated a good series (all females). Apart from two specimens from Wychwood Forest, Oxon, preserved in alcohol, the only known site in the world for
this species is at Arundel.
17. Agrilus cuprescens Ménétriés (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) (Hodge, P.J. 2010).
First discovered on 8 June 2008 at Beckton, South Essex, TQ439815, on bramble Rubus fruticosa foliage. This species continues to flourish in its original site at Beckton.
18. Agrilus cyanescens Ratzeburg (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) (Hodge, P.J. 2010).
First discovered on 8 June 2008 at Beckton, South Essex, TQ43988167, when a male was netted off sallow foliage by Mike Edwards, who gave the specimen to me. This species has recently been recorded from a number of widely scatted localities in Surrey, Oxfordshire, Hertfordshire and Huntingdonshire.
19. Pseudoperapion brevirostre (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Apionidae) (Hodge, P.J. 2010).
Discovered new to Britain on 22 May and 8 June 2008 at Beckton, South Essex, TQ439816, when several examples were swept off Perforate St John’s-wort Hypericum perforatum. The larvae develop in the flower head.
20. Acericerus heydenii (Kirschbaum) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) (Hodge, P.J. 2012a).
Swept off sycamore foliage on 26 July 2010 at St Osyth Priory, North Essex, TM11731670. This was the first British record although it has subsequently been recorded widely in London and also at Brighton in East Sussex.
21. Bruchidius imbricornis (Panzer) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) (Hodge, P.J. 2012b).
On 13 May 2012 several unfamiliar bruchids were beaten off hawthorn blossom at St Clere’s golf course, Stanford-le-Hope, South Essex, TQ671813. This species breeds in the seed pods of Goat’s-rue Galega officinalis and is likely to be found wherever this plant grows in the south-east England (I have subsequently recorded it beside the River Thames in north Kent and on the Eastbourne Levels in East Sussex).
22. Ceutorhynchus inaffectatus Gyllenhal (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) (Hodge, P.J. 2013).
First discovered in Britain on 28 June and 5 July 2012 at Hammer Wood, Chithurst, West Sussex, SU842242 on dame’s violet Hesperis matronalis. It was subsequently found in a garden at Ringmer, East Sussex on 20 June 2013 and at Goldbridge, Newick, TQ42912141 on 3 June 2014. A very lucky find because the first specimen was accidentally scooped into a tube containing samples of the pollen beetle
Meligethes matronalis.
23. Rhinusa neta (Germar, 1821) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) (Gurney, M., Denton, J., Hodge, P.J., Barclay, M.V.L. & Telfer, M.G. 2023).
Populations were discovered independently in a number of locations in London by several entomologists during June 2020, this new British weevil breeds in the seeds of Common Toadflax Linaria vulgaris.
24. Alloeotomus germanicus Wagner, 1939 (Hemiptera: Miridae) new to the British Isles (Hodge, P.J. 2023a).
On 11 September 2021 a mirid bug resembling a Lygus was discovered clinging to the white sheet erected behind the MV light trap in my garden at Ringmer, East Sussex, VC14, TQ446122, and was tubed for critical examination. Its large eyes convinced me it was not a Lygus and an image was posted on the “British Terrestrial True Bugs (Heteroptera) Recording Schemes” Facebook Group, where I
suggested it might possibly be Bothynotus pilosus (Boheman, 1852), a rare species that would not be expected to occur in south-east England. A swift response was posted by Petro Pynnönen, an entomologist from Finland, who was of the opinion that it was probably Alloeotomus germanicus, although he stated that the critical characters could not be viewed in my photograph. However, reference to the key in
Wagner & Weber (1964) confirmed beyond reasonable doubt that his determinationwas correct. Two further records of males, both attracted to MV light in early August 2022, can be added. One at the same location at Ringmer on 1 August, the other from Dene Vale in Westdene, Brighton, West Sussex, VC13, grid reference TQ296080, by Marcus Oldfield on 3 August. This latter specimen has been
deposited in the Hemiptera collection at the Booth Museum in Dyke Road, Brighton. Like A. gothicus (Fallén, 1807) the species is associated with pine trees.
25. Blastobasis glandulella (Riley, 1871) (Lepidoptera: Blastobasidae) (Hodge, P.J. 2023b).
On 26 June 2023 an unfamiliar Blastobasis was discovered inside my moth trap at Ringmer, East Sussex, TQ44651224. With help from Colin Plant and others the secimen, a female, was determined as B. glandulella, a North American species that became naturalised in southern Europe around 1990. The larvae are recorded as developing in acorns (Quercus species) and chestnuts (Castanea species).
26. Dasytes croceipes Kiesenwetter, 1866 (Coleoptera: Dasytidae) (Hodge, P.J. 2024).
A single female thought to belong to this new British species was swept off Viburnum blossom at Lincoln’s Inn Fields, Holborn (VC 18, South Essex) on 6 June 2023. Further examples, including two males, were collected on 16 June 2023, suggesting a significant breeding population was present.

References
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Ent. Rec. J. Var. 84: 22-23.
Hance, D. 2007. Astrapaeus ulmi (Rossi, 1790) (Staphylinidae) in Britain. The Coleopterist 16: 1-2.
Hodge, P.J. 1988. Lamprochromus strobli Parent (Dolichopodidae) confirmed as a British
species. Dipterists Digest No. 12, pp. 28-29.
Hodge, P.J. 1992. Lathrobium fennicum Renkonen (Staphylinidae) in East Sussex - the first
record for the British Mainland. The Coleopterist 1: 3.
Hodge, P. J., 1993a. Hercostomus verbekei Pollet in Britain. Empid and Dolichopodid study
group newsheet No.12 p.2.
Hodge, P.J. 1993b. Two species of Syntormon confused under the name S. monilis
(Haliday). Empid and Dolichopodid study group newsheet No. 12, p.3.
Hodge, P.J. 1997. Bruchidius varius (Olivier) (Chrysomelidae) new to the British Isles. The
Coleopterist, 5: 65 – 68.
Hodge, P.J. 1999. Fieberiella florii (Stål) [as Fieberiella sp. new to Britain, in 1998 Annual
Exhibition Coleoptera report. Br. J. Ent. Nat. Hist., 12 : 180.
Hodge, P.J. 2003. Atheta linderi Brisout de Barneville in Grenier new to the Britain, in 2002
Annual Exhibition Coleoptera report. Br. J. Ent. Nat. Hist., 16 : 183.
Hodge, P.J. 2006a. Macrotylus horvathi (Reuter) new to Britain, in 2005 Annual Exhibition
Hemiptera report. Br. J. Ent. Nat. Hist., 19: 190.
Hodge, P.J. 2006b. Astrapaeus ulmi (Rossi) new to Britain, in 2005 Annual Exhibition
Coleoptera report. Br. J. Ent. Nat. Hist., 19: 187.
Hodge, P.J. 2009. Orthotylus junipericola (Reuter) [exhibited as O. caprai Wagner] new to
Britain, in 2008 Annual Exhibition Hemiptera report. Br. J. Ent. Nat. Hist., 12: 180.
Hodge, P.J. 2010. Agrilus cuprescens (Ménétriés, 1832) and A. cyanescens Ratzeburg, 1837
(Buprestidae) established in Britain. The Coleopterist 19: 85-88.
Hodge, P.J. 2011. Pseudoperapion brevirostre (Herbst, 1797) (Apionidae) new to the British
Isles. The Coleopterist 20: 111-115.
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Exhibition Hemiptera report. Br. J. Ent. Nat. Hist., 25: 174.
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British Isles. The Coleopterist 21: 136-139
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Britain. The Coleopterist 22: 20-23.
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Isles. Ent. Rec. J. Var. 135: 193-196.
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British Isles. The Coleopterist 33: 6-9.
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Britain. Dipterists Digest Vol. 3 No. 1, pp. 36-37.
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Pollet, M. 1993. Morphalogical and ecological characterisation of Hercostomus
(Hercostomus) plagiatus and a sibling species, H. verbekei sp. n. (Diptera :
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