Sialis fuliginosa

This species was temporarily removed from the Norfolk list following a review of the earlier records. A specimen existed for one of them and this was reidentified as Sialis lutaria, and there was good reason to doubt the others. See Cobb 2016* for details of this review.

*Cobb, Paul (2016). Lacewings and allied insects of Norfolk (Mecoptera, Megaloptera, Neuroptera and Raphidioptera) in Transactions of the Norfolk & Norwich Naturalists' Society Volume 49 Part 1 (pages 32-33).

However, Sialis fuliginosa is now restored to the Norfolk list with the indivual shown below, the first confirmed record for the county.

Aldeflies cannot normally be identified from photos and it would be very difficult to see the relevant characters when examining a live specimen. Males need a look at the abdomen from the side and females need a look at the adomen from below. Details of how to identify them can be found in the FSC Aidgap key to lacewings and their allies by Colin Plant (1997).

This one was netted beside an ancient semi-natural woodland. The Wendling Beck, a tributory to the River Wensum, runs through the side of the wood (the opposite side to where the alderfly was found). The abdomen looked interesting when the dried specimen was viewed from the side with its relatively small lower lip and larger upper appendage, but for a first-for-Norfolk it was necessary to clear the abdomen for a more detailed examination. This confirmed the rounded plate above the lip and the curved bifid inner appendage above this.

male Sialis lutaria showing wings and views of the end of the abdomen (side views before and after clearing and close-up, and caudal and dorsal views), Wendling Beck Environment Project (Norfolk, UK), 17th May 2024