Many beetles in Britain have gone missing, possibly extinct.
25/09/2006 00:00:00
British beetles that have gone missing, possibly extinct.
- The Pashford pot beetle (Cryptocephalus exiguus) has historically been known from several wetlands, but the most recent records have been from Pashford Poors Fen an SSSI in Suffolk. Agricultural drainage associated with the surrounding arable fields has left this tiny wildlife site dry and many of the wetland plants such as Bog myrtle have already gone extinct. The Pashford pot beetle has not been seen for at least four years and experts fear it has gone as well.
- The Four-signed ground beetle (Dromius quadrisignatus) runs around on big tree trunks at night. Once found in several ancient woodlands, the last record was in Bushy Park in London in 1987.
- The Sussex diving beetle (Laccophilus poecilus) was common in ditches on the Lewes Levels in the 1970s but steadily declined and was last seen in 2002. It has not been found in subsequent searches. Experts fear that the source of water for the ditches is polluted by the runoff from a new road. This beetle has not been seen at its Yorkshire sites for many years.
- The Familiar sunshiner (Amara famelica) has never been found in numbers. Where it breeds is a mystery – last seen 1997.
- The Giant Capricorn beetle was thought to be extinct in Britain, until in June 2006 a carpenter in Wales found one on an oak timber.
There are over 4000 species of beetle in Britain doing everything from burying the bodies of animals, to pollinating flowers. Of these beetles 250 have not been seen since 1970, some are hard to find - others are heading towards extinction fast.
The Government’s list of Priority species for conservation action includes 87 beetles. However, four of these beetles have now also disappeared.
“We are in a global extinction event, and during National Insect Week we should remind ourselves not only that the threat of extinction hangs over many of our native insects, but also that studying and understanding the ecology and distribution of these animals is essential to maintaining a healthy environment” said Matt Shardlow, Buglife Director.
Buglife-The Invertebrate Conservation Trust is the first organisation in Europe devoted to the conservation of all invertebrates, and is actively engaged in saving Britain's rarest bugs, butterflies, snails, bees, wasps, ants, spiders, beetles and more fascinating creatures. Set up in 2000, the charity now has seven members working on diverse projects including a bumblebee survey and brownfield conservation. For more information on the work of Buglife go to:
www.buglife.org.uk.Courtesy of Buglife.
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