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entomologists
Rare Crucifix Ground Beetle Rediscovered at Wicken Fen
One
of the rarest beetles in the UK – the Crucifix Ground Beetle - has been
discovered at the National Trust’s Wicken Fen in Cambridgeshire after an
absence of more than 50 years.
The Crucifix Ground Beetle, known as Panagaeus cruxmajor, is listed as an Endangered Species in the UK’s Red Data Book and is a priority for conservation in the UK BAP (the Government’s Biodiversity Action Plan).
Before the discovery at Wicken Fen the Beetle was thought to survive at only three places in the UK, and at one of those it had not been seen for ten years. The eye-catching orange and black Crucifix Ground Beetle was last recorded at Wicken Fen in 1951, despite regular and widespread searches by experts.
The rare Crucifix Ground Beetle was considered a great prize by Victorian entomologists. Charles Darwin, a very keen collector of beetles, found the species ‘near Cambridge’ when he was a Cambridge University under-graduate in the 1820s. The beetle was found at Wicken Fen many times in the early part of the twentieth Century but records became increasingly sparse, until the last one was found on the Sedge Fen at Wicken Fen in 1951.
Stuart Warrington, the National Trust Nature Conservation Advisor who discovered the beetle said “This beetle is the rarest species I have ever seen and in the insect world it is perhaps the equivalent of a Bittern for ornithologists. To say that I was surprised and excited to have found it during one of my regular surveys at Wicken Fen is an under-statement.”
Beetle expert, Tony Drane, who has been visiting Wicken Fen for over 30 years, said
"It is fantastic that this rare species has been re-discovered at Wicken Fen. It has probably never been away but has survived undetected in low numbers in the Fen alongside Wicken Lode. This is one of a number of rare species in decline across the UK which survive at Wicken Fen, which show the importance of this nature reserve and why it is important to make the reserve larger."
- ENDS –
For further press information and a picture please contact:
Claire Graves, East of England Communications Officer, on 01284 747557, 07770 645230 or claire.graves@nationaltrust.org.uk
Howard Cooper, Wicken Fen Communications Officer, on 07826 874133, or howard.cooper@nationaltrust.org.uk
Notes to Editors
 | The Crucifix Ground Beetle, 8-10mm in length, is largely black and very bristly. In shape, it has a characteristic bug-eyed appearance and a broad thorax. The English name was inspired by the large red spots on the wing cases which extend over the margins, giving the appearance of a black cross against a red background. There is very little known about the life of the crucifix ground beetle. It is nocturnal in its activities, like most ground beetles, and seems to like sheltering under pieces of driftwood or discarded plastic sheets during the day. This beetle is a predatory species that probably feeds mainly on semi-aquatic snails, but its principal prey isn't known for certain |
| Wicken Fen nature reserve is one of the most important wetlands in Europe and has been owned by The National Trust since 1899. Over 7500 species have been recorded at Wicken Fen, making it the most species-rich site known in Britain. There are over 1500 species of beetle. The species present include many internationally rare plants, insects, birds and mammals, such as Water Vole, Otter, Marsh Harrier, Marsh Pea and Silver-barred Moth. |
| Wicken Fen is a well used recreational resource, with over 45,000 visitors each year, including some 5,000 school children. |
| The UK Biodiversity Action Plan is the UK Government's response to the international Convention on Biological Diversity, signed in 1992. The Crucifix Ground Beetle, which has a scientific name Panagaeus cruxmajor, is one of 391 UK BAP priority species for which action plans for conservation have been developed. |
| The National Trust is involved in a
major project to expand the nature reserve at Wicken Fen, for wildlife
and people, called the Wicken Fen Vision. Since the launch in 1999,
the National Trust has more than doubled the area of the nature
reserve to 750 hectares (1860 acres), and there are parcels of land in
various stages of restoration to wetland and other wildlife habitats. |
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