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Creepy Crawlies Of Norfolk
The groups that others would not study!
Quicklinks: Woodlice False Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes Harvestmen Flatworms Nemertines



Here you will find Woodlice, False or Pseudoscorpions, Centipedes, Millipedes, Harvestmen or Opiliones and even terrestrial Flatworms and Nemertines that occur in the two vice-counties of Norfolk.

Recently I have come to the conclusion that many of our assumed natural fauna which are widespread in this country are actually immigrants, aliens or hitch hikers! By this I mean that although they now fit happily into their niches in this country, they originally reached here by boat or even by aeroplane!

When the ice retreated at the end of the last ice age there was a gradual re-colonisation of northern Europe. Only a few species would have made it to Britain before it was cut off from the continent about ten thousand years ago by the opening of the Channel. From then on any creature that could not fly was cut off from Britain unless it could hitch a lift with man. The first hitch hikers probably came with Stone or Bronze Age boatmen and the latest on roro ferries or even jet aircraft.

References: You can read more about this interesting phenomenon in:

Jones, R. E. 1996 Creepy Crawlies. Transactions of the Norfolk & Norwich Naturalists'. Society. 30: (5) 495-501.

Barber, A. D. & Jones, R. E. 1996 Geographical distribution of Diplopods in Great Britain and Ireland: possible causal factors. In: Geoffroy, J.-J., Mauries, J.-P., & Nguyen Duy - Jacquemin, M., (eds), Acta Myriapodologica. Memoires du Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 169: 243-256. Paris ISBN 2-85653-502-X.

Corbet, G. B. 1961 Origin of the British Insular Races of Small Mammals and of the Lusitanian Fauna. Nat. Lond., 191:1037-40.

Woodlice


Isopods
East Norfolk vc 27 West Norfolk vc 28
Ligia oceanica (Linneaus)
Ligidium hypnorum (Cuvier)
Androniscus dentiger Verhoeff
Buddelundiella cataractae Verhoeff
Haplophthalmus danicus Budde Lund
Haplophthalmus mengei (Zaddach)
Trichoniscoides albidus (Budde Lund)
Trichoniscoides saeroeensis Lohmander
Trichoniscus pusillus Brandt
Trichoniscus pygmaeus Sars
Stenophiloscia zosterae (Verhoeff)
Oniscus asellus Linn.
Philoscia muscorum (Scopoli)
Platyarthrus hoffmanseggi Brandt
Armadillidium album Dollfus
Armadillidium nasatum Budde Lund
Armadillidium vulgare (Latrielle)
Eluma purpurascens Budde Lund
Cylisticus convexus (De Geer)
Porcellio dilatatus Brandt
Porcellio laevis Latreille
Porcellio scaber Latreille
Porcellio spinicornis Say
Porcellionides pruinosus (Brandt)
Trachelipus rathkei (Brandt)



False Scorpions


Pseudoscorpions
East Norfolk vc 27 West Norfolk vc 28
Chthonius ischnocheles (Hermann)
C. tenuis L. Koch Introduced?
C. tetrachelatus (Preyssler) inc. C. kewi Gabbut.
Neobisium muscorum (Leach)
Roncus lubricus L. Koch
Cheridium museorum (Leach)
Lamprochernes godfreyi (Kew)
L. nodosus (Schrank)
L. chyzeri (Tömösväry)
Pselapochernes scorpoides (Hermann)
P. dubius (O.P. -Cambridge)
Allochernes powelli (Kew)
Dinocheirus panzeri (C.L. Koch)
Chernes cimicoides (Fabricius)
Dactochelifer latreillei (Leach)



Centipedes


Chilopoda
East Norfolk vc 27 West Norfolk vc 28
Haplophilus subterraneus (Shaw)
Schendyla nemorensis (C. L. Koch)
Brachyschendyla dentata Brölemänn & Ribaut
Henia brevis (Silvestri)
Strigamia crassipes (C. L. Koch)
S. acuminata (Leach)
S. maritima (Leach)
Geophilus carpophagus Leach
G. electricus (Linn.)
G. fucorum serauti Brölemänn
G. insculptus Attems
Necrophloeophagus flavus (DeGeer)
Brachygeophilus truncorum (Bergso & Meinert)
Cryptops hortensis Leach
C. parisi Brölemänn
Lithobius forficatus (Linn.)
L. melanops Newport
L. borealis Meinert
L. calcaratus C. L. Koch
L. crassipes L. Koch
L. curtipes C. L. Koch
Lamyctes fulvicornis Meinert
Scutigera coleoptrata (Linn.)



Millipedes


Diplopoda
East Norfolk vc 27 West Norfolk vc 28
Polyxenus lagurus (Linn.)
Glomeris marginata (Villers)
Stygioglomeris crinata Brölemänn
Nanogona polydesmoides (Leach)
Craspedosoma rawlinsii Leach
Brachychaeteuma bradeae (Brölemänn & Brade-Birks)
Nemasoma varicorne C.L. Koch
Thallasisobates littoralis (Silvestri)
Proteroiulus fuscus (Am Stein)
Nopoiulus kochii (Gervais)
Blaniulus guttulatus (Fabricius)
Archiboreoiulus pallidus (Brade-Birks)
Boreoiulus tenuis (Bigler)
Tachypodoiulus niger (Leach)
Ommatoiulus sabulosus (Linn.)
Brachyiulus pusillus (Leach)
Julus scandinavius Latzel
Ophyiulus pilosus (Newport)
Allajulus nitidus (Verhoeff)
Cylindroiulus caeruleocinctus (Wood)
C. londinensis (Leach)
C. punctatus (Leach)
C. latestriatuus (Curtis)
C. britannicus (Verhoeff)
C. parisorum (Brölemänn & Verhoeff)
Leptoiulus belgicus (Latzel)
Unciger foetidus (C.L. Koch)
Brachydesmus superus Latzel
Polydesmus angustus Latzel
P. gallicus Latzel
P. inconstans Latzel
P. denticulatus C.L. Koch
Ophiodesmus albonanus (Latzel)
Macrosternodesmus palicola Brölemänn


Harvestmen


Opiliones
East Norfolk vc 27 West Norfolk vc 28
Nemastoma bimaculatum (Fabricius)
Mitostoma chrysomelias (Hermann)
Anelasmocephalus cambridgei (Westwood)
Oligolophus tridens (C. L. Koch)
Paroligolophus agrestis (Meade)
Lacinius ephippiatus (C. L. Koch)
Odellius spinosus (Bosc)
Mitopus morio (Fabricius)
Phalangium opilio Linnaeus
Opilio parietinus (DeGeer)
O. saxatilis (C. L. Koch)
Megabunus diadema (Fabricius)
Rilaena triangularis (Herbst)
Lophopilio palpinalis (Herbst)
Dicranopalpus ramosus (Simon)
Leiobunum rotundum (Latreille)
L. blackwalli Meade
Nelima gothica Lohmander


Flatworms


(terrestrial)
East Norfolk vc 27 West Norfolk vc 28
Microplana terrestris (Müller)
M. humicola Vejdovsky
Artioposthia triangulata (Dendy)


Nemertines


(terrestrial)
East Norfolk vc 27 West Norfolk vc 28
Argonemertes dendyi (Dakin)



The only way to see if this is still happening is to monitor our fauna continually. Unciger foetidus came to Britain as a result of a gradual colonisation of central Europe and it crossed the sea by some means or other to be found in Dersingham in 1983. What will come in the future? In order to find out how the populations change due to natural expansion and contraction, we need to know their whereabouts now. In a perfect world, we should have also known the ranges in the past as well as those that we shall learn about in the future. Some people say that Chordeuma proximum, Melogona gallica and M. scutellare have increased their range in the last thirty years, others say that they were there all the time but were overlooked. One thing is sure, they do not occur in East Anglia, AT THE MOMENT. In fifty or a hundred years' time, particularly with global warming to add to the equation, things may be different.

Conversely, things that were once common are becoming rare. Allochernes powelli was found in old field barns in the 1980's but in the past few years the barns have vanished. They are now pulled down or, in some cases, they have been converted into luxury homes. A survey now may find that A. powelli has become extinct in Norfolk.


Content and images by RE Jones rej@globalnet.co.uk

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