Beetles found after going missing for more than 100 years

01/04/2009 12:04:15 Seven rare beetles found on National Trust's Dunham Park April 2009. An amazing seven species of beetle have been found at the National Trust's Dunham Park in Cheshire after last being recorded there more than 100 years ago.

John Hooson, National Trust Nature Conservation Adviser, said: "Dunham is one of the most studied parklands in the UK, making this a very special discovery. These beetles are small and finding so many that haven't been seen since Queen Victoria was on the throne is remarkable and confirms that this is a special place for wildlife."

Flat bark beetle & false darkling beetle
Two of the major rediscoveries from the survey were the rare flat bark beetle Pediacus depressus, last recorded here in 1889, and normally found south of the line between the river Severn and the Wash, and the nationally scarce false darkling beetle Abdera quadrifasciata which was last reported at Dunham in 1867 and is at the northern limit of its range. There were also two new discoveries for the site from the survey - the nationally scarce darkling beetle Pseudocistela ceramboides, the furthest north it's ever been found, and the nationally scarce hister beetle Aeletes atomarius, which hadn't previously been recorded in the north west of England.

Top site for veteran trees
Dunham Park is one of the top sites in the UK for veteran trees - an old tree that has had time to develop a variety of features such as fungi and sap runs - such as oak and beech which have survived in the park for many centuries.
The long continuity of such veteran trees has made the park an ideal location for wood-decay beetles. Results from this latest survey of the parkland, by expert zoologist Dr Keith Alexander, have confirmed that the park is the fifth richest site for such specialist beetles in the British Isles, supporting national and international rarities.

Renowned beetle habitat
Famed for its diverse variety of wood-decay beetles, searching for them at Dunham Park became popular in the 1860s and the site has been visited by countless experts ever since. Local entomologist Joseph Chappell was the first person who published notes on the rarities found in the parkland.

Abdera quadrifasciata - last recorded at Dunham in 1867 - Phot credit F Kohler Seven species of beetle found during this survey were last recorded at Dunham Park in the 19th century: many of which are rarities in the north of England. All of these beetles have restricted distribution and they are dependent on careful management of veteran/ancient trees to survive. A cobweb beetle, Megatoma undata. Only found at a few sites in the north west of England: mainly found in the midlands and south east of England. A flat bark beetle, Pediacus depressus. Other sites where this beetle is found include Helmsley in Yorkshire, Speke Hall in Liverpool and Tatton Park in Cheshire: other records are mainly south of Severn-Wash line. A false darkling beetle, Abdera quadrifasciata. The main recorded sites for this beetle in the north of England are Weaver Valley in Cheshire, Clumber Park in Nottinghamshire and near Scarborough in north Yorkshire. A false darkling beetle, Hallomenus binotatus. This is a rarity in the north west of England. A false darkling beetle, Melandrya caraboides. Usually found in the Lake District in the north-west and reasonably good distribution across the rest of England and in Wales. A minute fungus beetle, Orthocis alni. Only found at Stockton's Wood at Speke Hall and a few other sites in the north-west of England: mainly found in southern England and Wales. A shining fungus beetle, Dacne rufifrons. This is the only known site in the north-west of England and at the northern limit of its range.

Beetle catching

The techniques most often employed by surveyors are often fairly simple. It's a case of beating dead branches and looking for what drops out; if you don't tap the right branch at the right time on the right day you'll have missed the adult beetle. Using traps which attract or intercept the species and can be in place for weeks at a time gives much greater success when trying to detect rare species such as the beetles found at Dunham.

John Hooson added: "All species go through periods of relative scarcity or abundance due to a range of factors, such as a sudden abundance of habitat or lack of predators or parasites. It's possible that this latest survey coincided with a population peak for these species at Dunham - they've been here all of the time but just hiding away from the countless entomologists that have been looking for them."

Rare flies also found
Seven rare, scarce and endangered species of fly were also found during the survey. This includes a Fungus gnat, Scythropochroa quercicola, which is only found at two other sites in Britain, and a milichiid (also known as freeloader flies as they share the prey of spiders), Madiza britannica, previously recorded at three sites in Somerset and Cambridgeshire.

Dunham Park, which has more than 630 hectares of farmland and woodland, is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The estate came into National Trust ownership in 1976.

Five of the other top National Trust sites for rare and unusual beetles include:

 

Golden Cap Estate in Dorset - soft rock cliffs support several scarce and rare beetles including the cliff tiger beetle, which as the name suggests, is a voracious predator.
• Lundy Island, off the coast of north Devon - the only UK Site for the Lundy cabbage flea beetle, which is restricted to around 100 metres where it's foodplant grows.
• Morden Hall Park in London - a number of scarce and rare beetles associated with the old parkland trees including the spectacular stag beetle.
• Wicken Fen in Cambridgeshire - this relict of a much larger wetland is great for water beetles and musk beetles burrow in the stems of old willows. There are more than 1,500 species of beetle recorded here.
Royal Military Canal in Sussex - scarce and rare water beetles including Britain's heaviest beetle, the great silver water beetle.