An interesting lacewing

On Saturday I went to get my hair cut but the queue in the barbers was so long I decided that I couldn't be bothered to wait and went off to have a look for insects in some local woodland. Despite the intermittent sunshine it was too cold for anything to be flying so I spent a bit of time sweeping spruce scrub. I got a few hoppers and bugs but the most interesting thing was a lacewing.

Even in flight it looked small and upon capture it was bright green which excluded Chrysoperla carnea which is the commonest species at this time of year but turns brown over winter. The other obvious feature was the bright green stigmas on each wing.

Attempts to run it through the AIDGAP key quickly ran into problems but further investigations revealed that it was Peyerimhoffina gracilis, a species which was added to the British list in 2001. Colin Plant who wrote the AIDGAP key has supplied the following amendment to Key H on page 222:

RE-NUMBER EXISTING COUPLET 3 AS 3A and then insert an extra couplet BETWEEN EXISTING COUPLETS 2 AND 3 to read:

3 ... Inner gradate series of forewings with at least twice as many cross veins as in the outer gradate series (usually 5 inner, 2 outer). Tip of abdomen finely pointed - Peyerimhoffina gracilis

- ... Inner gradate series with fewer cross veins than the outer series ...3a