scarlet malachite beetle (credit: Mick E Talbot)
There seems to be lots of bug hunts going on, which is great if you love insects. This latest beetle survey from Buglife is asking you to keep your eyes open for one of Britains rarest beetles, the scarlet malachite. This colourful beetle is only on the wing for a few weeks so now is the time to catch up on it’s identifying marks.
Recognising a scarlet malachite beetle.
The most distinctive things to look for when identifying the scarlet malachite beetle is its bronze-green coloured body and section where the two wing cases meet, its bright ref wing cases and it’s yellow face. These pretty much set apart this beetle from many other similar looking beetles. You can download a pdf copy of a leaflet from Buglife at their survey page.
The scarlet malachite beetle (Malachius aeneus) has a relatively short adult phase. They take to the wing at the start of May and within about 6 weeks they will have disappeared for another year. So we only have until mid June to look out for them and send our sightings to Buglife – and send some photographs if possible with your report.
Where to find the beetle.
The beetles are most likely to be seen in hedgerows and along meadow and farmland borders but can also be found in woodland glades. They feed on wild flower and grass pollen but in the juvenile larvae stages they are ferocious carnivores. The adults seem to have a preference for buttercups so that could be a good starting point for your hunt.
At one time the scarlet malachite beetle was widespread across much of southern England and even recorded in Glamorganshire, Wales. Now though there is only 8 known populations of the beetle. Four of those populations were recently discovered during a 2006 scarlet malachite survey. Buglife are hoping for similar success in discovering new populations with this latest survey.
Watch out for and report this endangered species.
While the current known populations are limited to Essex, Hampshire and Hertfordshire it still worthwhile for anyone who’s walking or hiking anywhere in southern England and Wales to just keep an eye open for this beetle. You should not need to go rooting about in the undergrowth as the beetle appears to prefer being at the top of tall flowers and grasses.
There is currently an Species Action Plan (SAP) in force for the scarlet malachite beetle as it is so rare in this country. As with many species the main threats to its continued survival appears to be loss of habitat and intensive farming processes. The loss of wild flower meadows since the 1950′s have reduced it’s preferred habitat substantially.
If you do spot one of the beetles, try and take a couple of photographs of it from different angles so it is much easier to confirm the sighting. Most mobile phones have cameras now that provide good enough resolution to be able to take a reasonable picture for identification.
I now have three beetles to look out for as take my walks and hikes in the countryside; the scarlet malachite, oil beetles and the nobel chafer beetle. I’m beginning to think it must be the Year of the Insect rather than the Year of the Forest.
Related books:
An Inordinate Fondness for Beetles
Living Jewels 2: The Magical Design of Beetles
The Carabidae (ground Beetles) of Britain and Ireland (Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects)
Common Ground Beetles (Naturalists’ handbooks)
