Rare oil beetles found at Gloucestershire nature reserve

The discovery of a number of rare beetles at a Gloucestershire nature reserve is being celebrated by experts.

Eleven rugged oil beetles, which are believed to be in serious decline, were counted at the Elliott nature reserve on Swift's Hill near Stroud.

The Stroud valleys have been a stronghold for the beetle, as have reserves in Somerset and Wiltshire.

A Buglife spokesman said the beetles were usually found in low numbers, so to find 11 in one go was "impressive".

'Good sign'

The discovery was made in December by a Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust (GWT) ecologist, a month after a single beetle was found by a colleague at the Strawberry Banks nature reserve which is also near Stroud.

Kathy Meakin, from the GWT, said oil beetles were parasites of solitary mining bees and added that this particular species was "fascinating".

"It's a very good sign we are getting our habitat management right if we can find rare, specialised parasites," she said.

The rugged oil beetle - meloe rugosus - is one of four types of oil beetle believed to have suffered drastic decline in the UK, with another four oil beetle species now thought to be extinct.

Andrew Whitehouse, from the Buglife conservation charity, said the Stroud valleys were a "national stronghold" for the species.

"Somerset and Wiltshire are also 'hotspots' - we have historical records for a good number of sites," he said.

But he said they had fewer records in the past 10 years so wanted people to let us know if they see any of these brilliant beetles.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-16473598