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🪰 Exciting discovery on the dunes

A return visit to Hightown has revealed not one, but 71 specimens of a fly species new to Britain!

Read the latest update on the fascinating “Hightown Fly” here:

Update on the “Hightown Fly” - North West Invertebrates

Last year during a Tanyptera Project recording day on the Hightown dunes between Formby and Crosby I caught a bristly black fly which on examination under the microscope turned out to be a species new... Read more »

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The Tanyptera Project3 days ago

🪲 Join us at our upcoming Invertebrate Recording Day at Risley Moss on Friday 15th May 🕷️

These days are focused on getting out in the field and collecting biological records.

🌿 Explore the habitats on site
📊 Contribute valuable records
🤝 Record alongside others with an interest invertebrates

Everyone is welcome - whether you’re new to recording or highly experienced! 📋🔍

📅 Places are limited — book your spot here:

Select tickets – Risley Moss Nature Reserve Invertebrate Recording Day – Risley Moss

Risley Moss Nature Reserve Invertebrate Recording Day – Risley Moss, Fri 15 May 2026 - Risley Moss is an 82-hectare Local Nature Reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Warrington, featuring lowland raised bog, woodlands, and meadows. It is also the only known site in Cheshire w...

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The Tanyptera Project2 weeks ago

🪰 New Diptera resource now online! 🪰

The Complete Diptera of Lancashire and Cheshire by Phil Brighton is now available. Updated to the end of 2025, this landmark work provides the first fully comprehensive account of the flies of the region, covering vice-counties 58, 59 and 60, and bringing together more than a century of recording effort.

👉 Blog: https://www.northwestinvertebrates.org.uk/major-regional-diptera-resource-goes-online/

👉 Full document: https://www.northwestinvertebrates.org.uk/document/the-complete-diptera-of-lancashire-and-cheshire/

📷Mallota cimbiciformis (c) Pete Kinsella

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The Tanyptera Project2 weeks ago

🪰 Robberflies of the Sefton Coast

New article by Phil Smith & Pete Kinsella showcasing the Asilidae recorded on the Sefton Coast - with photos, species accounts and recent discoveries.

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Robberflies (Diptera, Asilidae) of the Sefton Coast, north Merseyside - North West Invertebrates

Many of the 29 species of robberflies (Asilidae) known to occur in Britain and Ireland show a preference for dry, well-drained soils, coastal dunes being a favoured habitat (Falk et al., 2026). Smith & Kinsella... Read more »

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The Tanyptera Project2 weeks ago

🪵 New regional checklist released!

A provisional checklist of Barkflies (Psocoptera) for Cheshire & Lancashire by Keith Fowler is now available via North West Invertebrates. This is the first checklist for this under-recorded group in the region, bringing together records from museums, recording schemes, local record centres, iRecord and the NBN Atlas.

👉 Download it here:

A provisional Checklist of Barkflies (Psocoptera) for Cheshire & Lancashire - North West Invertebrates

Psococerastis gibbosa – (c) David Williams Summary This document presents a provisional checklist of barkflies (Psocoptera) recorded in Cheshire and Lancashire (VC58,59,60). It is the first checklist for the region covering this order of insects.... Read more »

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The Tanyptera Project3 weeks ago

🐝 New blog out now 🐝

Our recent blog, written by Chloe Aldridge, takes a closer look at the bees and wasps recorded from vane traps at Leighton Hall and Hyning Priory in 2025. The findings highlight a varied bee and wasp fauna and provide useful new data for regional recording.

Read it here 👇
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Aculeate Hymenoptera from vane traps at Leighton Hall and Hyning Priory, Lancashire, in 2025 - North West Invertebrates

Vane trapping was carried out by the Tanyptera Project on two sites, Leighton Hall and Hyning Priory, in the Morecambe Bay area of North Lancashire (VC60) during spring and summer 2025, primarily targeting saproxylic insects.... Read more »

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North West Invertebrates

Promoting the study and conservation of invertebrates in North West England

Promoting the study and conservation of invertebrates in North West England

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