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Updates and revisions

The following list provides a useful reference guide to any notable update or revision, primarily associated with new species and/or additional photos, but also acting as a record of the development of the site from the date of publication. Each entry will be formatted in a consistent manner starting with the ORDER, which provides a quick link followed, if applicable, by the family and current update version. Any changes affecting species that are already featured will be noted in the text, whereas the addition of any new species will always be shown bulleted and indented on a separate line.  

 

 

February 2025

  > Beetles (updated to v.6)

Major year-end update with quite a few new species added and various amendments to a number of 'family accounts' with significant revisions to: Carabidae (ground beetles), Coccinellidae (ladybirds), Cerambycidae (longhorn beetles), Chrysomelidae > Donaciinae (reed beetles) and the Rhynchitidae and Curculionidae (weevils) pages.

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January 2025

  > Springtails (updated to v.6)

Some minor amendments, plus the addition of two new globular springtails which, coincidently, are both in families that were not previously represented; Bourletiellidae and Sminthuridae. As a result, the COLLEMBOLA home page now features 37 species that link through to 34 separate written accounts, including around 165 photos - way beyond my initial expectations when the first version of the listing was put together in September 22. 

  • Deuterosminthurus pallipes

  • Allacma fusca

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  > Spiders (updated to v.6)

Fully updated with a number of additional photos taken over the past few months, plus eight new species, and with each page now having its own update version. The section now includes around 85 species and 300 photos.

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December 2024

Starting with DIPTERA, the individual 'family account' pages will now include their own update version, so that I can track text revisions or the addition of new photos that do not affect the main page listing, which is only updated when new species are added. 

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  (the main page is now at v.6)

There have been some significant updates to this section, including a number of extended family account write-ups as well as the addition of quite a few new species. The most notable changes are in respect of the the Tipulidae and Limoniidae (craneflies), Sciaridae (dark-winged fungus gnats), Ceratopogonidae (biting midges) and Chironomidae (non-biting midges), plus two new families; Ptychopteridae (fold-winged craneflies) and Scatopsidae (dung midges).​

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  (the main page is now at v.11)

Following a concerted effort to try to have all fly families updated before year end, I'm pleased to confirm a number of revisions and a few new species affecting the Rhagionidae (snipefly), Tabanidae (horsefly), Stratiomidae (soldierfly), Bombyliidae (bee-fly) and Asilidae (robberfly) families.

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November 2024

Although I'm still methodically working my way through the various family accounts, adding new species and/or photos that have accumulated throughout the year, there have been a lot of changes during the month - too many to detail but, in taxonomic order, these families have all had important updates: Hybotidae, Empididae, Dolichopodidae, Phoridae, Tephritidae, Lauxaniidae, Sciomyzidae, Opomyzidae, Heleomyzidae, Sphaeroceridae, Drosophilidae and Ephydridae.

 

There are also six new families: Platypezidae, Megamerinidae, Coelopidae followed by an extra page for 'seaweed flies', Heterocheilidae, Agromyzidae and Diastatidae. Admittedly, some of these families are represented by a single species, but the addition of a number of flat-footed flies (Platypezidae), and all three kelp flies (Coelopidae) plus some other strandline species, has been rewarding.

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The next phase is to review some of the remaining Acalyptrate families before updating the Lower Brachycera, particularly robberflies. I hope to have all of these 'true fly' families updated by the new year so I can move on to the Nematocera - Craneflies, Gnats and Midges. Once complete, there will be around 360 species and probably in excess of  800 photos.

 

All of the family accounts in this section have now been reviewed and updated. The latest revisions include major updates for Scathophaghidae, Calliphoridae, Sarcophaghidae and Tachinidae in addition to Muscidae and Anthomyiidae that were completed last month. The Calyptrates section now includes just over 250 photos of around 100 species.

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October 2024

  > Muscidae (House Flies)

Following on from the previous update note, this large family has now been extended in a similar way, but this time by grouping the species together by subfamily. There are now seven pages with a number of new species and some more up to date photos.

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  > Anthomyiidae (Root-maggot Flies)

Part of a major update to the Diptera section where a number of families will have an extended write-up with more detail to help with identification. The Anthomyiidae is now spread over five pages, including an attempt to determine a number of species that were previously captioned as 'unidentified'. It's an ambitious update, but one I've been wanting to do for a while as the family is generally overlooked and lacking in information that would be useful from a photographer's perspective.  

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September 2024

  > Hoverflies (updated to v.3)

Major update including fifteen new species and over seventy additional photos.​

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July 2024

  > Bees (updated to v.6)

Various updates and a further three new species added:

  • Lasioglossum prasinum (Grey-tailed Furrow Bee)

  • Sphecodes monilicornis (Box-headed Blood Bee)

  • Bombus vestalis (Southern Cuckoo Bumblebee) - added earlier during an interim update (v.5)

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June 2024

  > Craneflies, Gnats, Midges and Mosquitoes (updated to v.5)

Section updated with a further two families being represented:

  • Mycetophilidae - True Fungus Gnats

  • Culicidae - Mosquitoes

Also, additional photos and associated information have now been added for both mycetophilid and keroplatid fungus gnat larvae.

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May 2024

  > Chrysomelidae > Galerucinae > Skeletonising Leaf Beetles

Page updated including various amendments, some photos changed and one new species added:

  • Lochmaea crataegi (Hawthorn Leaf Beetle)

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  > Bees (updated to v.4)

Major overhaul including various revisions, additional photos and ten new species:

  • Colletes cunicularius (Early Colletes)

  • Andrena ovatula (Small Gorse Mining Bee)

  • Andrena nitida (Grey-patched Mining Bee)

  • Andrena synadelpha (Broad-margined Mining Bee)

  • Lasioglossum calceatum (Common Furrow Bee)

  • Osmia bicornis (Red Mason Bee)

  • Nomada lathburiana (Lathbury's Nomad Bee)

  • Anthophora plumipes (Hairy-footed Flower Bee)

  • Bombus hortorum (Garden Bumblebee)

  • Bombus pratorum (Early Bumblebee)

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  > Woodland Lichens (60 species)

The thumbnail images have now been linked to their respective 'species accounts'. However, the section is currently pending completion as some accounts require checking and/or correcting, which will probably be a job for later in the year as I'm now back to focusing my attention on insects. 

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March 2024

  (now at v.3 with 140+ species)

Numerous updates including completion of the Montane, Coastal and Urban linked 'species accounts' and various

new Cladonia species added to the Heathland collection. The Woodland section is quite involved, but will follow asap.

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February 2024

  > Heathland Lichens (20 species)

This particular collection is now live and linking to the individual Cladonia 'species accounts'.​

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  (new section - v.1)

First stage completed; introduction and thumbnail images, currently separated into five collections:

Montane, Woodland, Heathland, Coastal and Urban - associated 'species accounts' to follow over the next few weeks. â€‹

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January 2024

  > Bugs and Hoppers (updated to v.4)

Various minor revisions, a few additional photos and three new species added:

  • Aradus depressus (Pale-shouldered Flatbug) - with new Aradidae 'family account' page

  • Leptoglossus occidentalis (Western Conifer Seed Bug)

  • Heterogaster urticae (Nettle Groundbug)

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Some tidying up and corrections on the Corixidae - Water-boatmen 'family account' page, adding:

  • Sigara cf.distincta

  • Sigara cf.semistrata

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  > Beetles (updated to v.4)

An interim update to include three new species:

  • Pterostichus minor (Lesser Blackclock - Ground beetle)

  • Phloeonomus punctipennis (Rove beetle)

  • Atreus affinis (Rove beetle)

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  > Centipedes (updated to v.3)

A few additional photos added, together with one new lithobiomorph with its own 'species account' page:

  • Lithobius melanops

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  > Springtails (updated to v.5)

Hot on the heels of the major update that I completed a couple of weeks ago, I've now added a further three species that I've found since the beginning of the year, each with their own dynamic 'species account' pages:

  • Protaphorura armata

  • Hemisotoma thermophila (syn. Cryptopygus thermophilus)

  • Tomocerus vulgaris

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  > Harvestmen (updated to v.3)

A few new photos added, together with two new 'species account' pages for:

  • Mitostoma chrysomeles (Nemastomatidae)

  • Odiellus spinosus (Phalangiidae > Oligolophinae)

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  > Moths (updated to v.3)

One new moth added with linked dynamic 'species account' page:

  • Jersey Tiger (Euplagia quadripunctaria)

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December 2023

Something I've been wanting to create for a while - a flow-chart of sorts, that shows the evolutionary relationship of the insect orders that are featured and/or mentioned on the website, and how the systematic hierarchy compares with the home page layout. Opens in a separate browser window for ease of reference when viewing other pages.

 

  > Parasitic Wasps (updated to v.3)

Various changes, including a new page providing an overview of the Eulophidae (Chalcid Wasps) family, featuring one new species:

  • Symbiosis dolichogaster

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And, on the Cynipoidae (Gall Wasps) page, photos of some new oak galls produced by three new species:

  • Andricus lignicola (Cola Nut Gall Wasp)

  • Biohiza pallida (Oak Apple Gall Wasp)

  • Neuroterus quercusbbaccarum (Common Spangle Gall Wasp)

also, at the bottom of that page, some general information regarding oaks in general.

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Lastly, there are two new ichneumons wasps, each with their own dynamic 'species account' page:

  • Ichneumon bucculentus

  • Option variegatus

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  > Springtails (50+ new photos added - updated to v.4)

Numerous revisions including many new photos of existing species, plus a number of new species that were found

earlier in the year, all of which have been added together with their own dynamic 'species account' pages:

  • Monobella grassei

  • Kalophorura burmeisteri

  • Entomobrya multifasciata

  • Entomobrya nivalis

  • Dicyrtomina minuta

  • Sminthurinus lawrencei, coupled with Sminthurinus niger

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  > Craneflies, Gnats, Midges (updated to v.4)

Photos of two new short-palped craneflies added, the second slightly tentative:

  • Achyrolimonia decemmaculata (Limoniidae)

  • Ormosia cf.lineata (Limoniidae)

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Also, a dark-winged fungus gnat; wingless female (you don't see many photos of these):​

  • Epidapus sp.

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  > Flies (updated to v.4)

A couple more photos added of existing species, plus three new flies:

  • Trypetoptera punctulata (Sciomyzidae - Marsh Flies)

  • Norellisoma spinimanum (Scathophagidae - Dungflies)

  • Miltogramma germari (Sarcophagidae - Flesh Flies) (NS)

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  > Beetles (19 new photos added - updated to v.3)

A bit of restructuring to include a few additional photos of existing species, plus three new beetles added,

the last of which required another weevil's dynamic 'family account' page:

  • Carabus arvensis (Moorland Ground Beetle)

  • Grammoptera ruficornis (Longhorn beetle)

  • Platystomos albinus (Fungus beetle) (NS)

The section now includes photos of 160 beetle species.​

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  > Stinging Wasps (updated to v.3)

An additional photo of the rare Pseudoepipona herrichii (Purbeck Mason Wasp) added, plus a further new

nationally scarce species with its own separate dynamic 'species account' page:

  • Eumenes coarctatus (Heath Potter Wasp) (NS)

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  > Spider-hunting Wasps (updated to v.3)

A couple of better images of Episyron rufipes (Red-legged Spider Wasp) included to replace previous photos. 

  > Bees (updated to v.3)

A further photo of Sphecodes pellucidus (Sandpit Blood Bee) added; previously only one image.

  > Caddisflies (updated to v.2)

Photo of one new species added:

  • Goera pilosa (Medium Sedge)

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  > Grasshoppers & Crickets (updated to v.2)

Minor amendments, plus one new species added including associated dynamic 'species account' page:

  • Nemobius sylvestris (Wood-cricket) (NS)

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November 2023

  > Cockroaches (updated to v.2)

Photo of a new species added, which is the last of the three native wood cockroaches:

  • Ectobius lapponicus (Dusky Cockroach) (NS)

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  > Woodlice (28 new photos added - updated to v.3)

Various amendments including a few photos from earlier in the year, and two new species

added, both requiring dynamic 'species account' pages:

  • Asellus aquaticus (Two-spotted Waterlouse or Slater)

  • Porcellionides pruinosus (Plum Woodlouse)

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  > Spiders (41 new photos added - updated to v.4)

Significant update with a number of additional photos of existing species, plus seven new spiders featured,

two of which (Purseweb and Woodlouse)* needing new dynamic 'family account' pages:

  • Atypus affinis (Atypidae)* (NS)

  • Harpactea hombergi (Dyseridae)*

  • Metellina merianae (Tetragnathidae)

  • Amaurobius fenestralis (Amaurobiidae)

  • Philodromus margaritatus (Philodromidae) (NR)

  • Xysticus cf.kochi (Thomisidae)

  • Salticus scenicus (Salticidae)

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November 2023

After two years and hundreds of hours of work, the website was finally published on 18th November 2023.

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October 2021

Domain registered as www.tickspics-macro.com

Website officially named Small World Discoveries

Signed up to a new hosting plan with WiX

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August 2021

First outline and contents list.

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