The purpose of this site is to create and share a Water Bug Atlas for Northamptonshire VC32 together with new test identification keys that are being produced. Water Bugs in Northants have been under recorded and it is expected that by analysing this information it will give us momentum to collate more records and improve the recording across more 2km, 5km and 10km squares.
If you wish to add records to this data set please add your records to iRecord and i will verify and collate. Alternatively you can still send me a spreadsheet with species name, date, site location, grid reference, recorders name and comments.
The following map is taken from the "Provisional Atlas of the British Aquatic Bugs (Hemiptera, Heteroptera)" by Thomas Huxley in 2003
This shows the amount of records in that Atlas. The larger the dots, the more records. Apart from Peterborough there are areas that have not had any records submitted at all - The challenge!
This survey data is based on approximately 11,348 survey records collected in the Nene Valley mainly from Kev Rowley, Graham Warnes, John Showers, Richard Chadd, Nathan Hall, NBRC, Simon Heyward, Sheila Brooke, Bernard Nau, Peter Kirby, Richard and Gill Watts between 2011 and 2023 and the Environment Agency since 1989. I have also added Northants data from the National data set after 1980. The data on Wildlife Trust sites has been provided to them for use in evaluating reserve features.
We are recording in 40 of the 42 10k squares possible and across 53 bug species from a likely 60 (There are 96 bugs in National Recording Schemes, although many of these are upland, Northern, coastal or Irish and not likely from Northants).
The majority of maps are taken from QGIS or national distribution maps from the NBN Atlas.
Above are the 1, 2, 5 and 10km squares surveyed up to end 2022. We are recording in 40 10km, 109 5km and 270 2km squares. A bit more recording needed in the south of the county!
Below are the 1km Squares surveyed overplayed on the water courses in the county
Nepomorpha - Boatmen
Familiy: Corixidae
Family: Naucoridae
Family: Nepidae
Family: Notonectidae
Family: Pleidae
Gerromorpha - Skaters
Family: Gerridae
Family: Hydrometridae
Family: Mesoveliidae
Family: Hebridae
Family: Veliidae
Leptopodomorpha and Dipsocoromorpha - Marine and Shore bugs
Family: Ceratocombidae
Family: Saldidae
There are still a few targets to keep an eye out and i have listed them here.
For identification and habitat notes follow this link for the reference materials that have been used. The status definitions are here.
All Photographs supplied by A.A.Cook or K.Rowley unless specified otherwise.
Last updated: 2/2/2024
Any comments or corrections welcomed - To contact me e-mail kevrowley@live.co.uk
Aquarius paludum
(from Wilsons Pit)