Adur Terrestrial Beetles                 2006 - 2011

4 May 2011
The small red beetle Rhagonycha fulva (a Soldier Beetle, Cantharidae) was seen on Stinging Nettles on the opposite side of the Coombes Road to the Ladywell's House.

17 April 2011
All of the few Horseshoe Vetch flowers and occasional Daisies, on the lower slopes of Mill Hill, were covered in tiny black beetles Meligethes, and the slightly larger shiny green beetle Cryptocephalus crawled amongst the vegetation.

29 March 2011
On the lower slopes of Mill Hill I found a nationally scarce carabid beetle Licinus depressus which has specially adapted jaws to feed on snails. It was only 10  mm long.

20 March 2011
I recorded my first beetle of the year, the very small Paederus littoralis seen on a plastic cap on Mill Hill Cutting (south, amongst Ivy leaves next to the Pixie Path),
 

20 July 2010
A brown larva of the Drilus beetle was spotted crawling across a steep path amongst the Hawthorn scrub.

6 September 2009
A Dor Beetle lay dying on the chalk path, south of the reservoir on the southern part of Mill Hill.
Adur Dor Beetles
 

8 June 2009 About twenty of the small brown beetles illustrated on the left were flying around in the undergrowth. It could be Lagria hirta.

7 June 2009 A female Stag Beetle, Lucanus cervus, crawled across the pavement of Buckingham Road, Shoreham, just north of the junction with Nicolson Drive.

27 May 2009 A male Stag Beetle was rescued from the middle of The Street, Old Shoreham, at the top end next to Frampton's Field and thrown back into the narrow band of trees. Stag Beetles (Sussex Wildlife Trust) on Facebook

 

20 April 2008
On the lower slopes of Mill Hill, the first Horseshoe Vetch, Hippocrepis comosa, was seen in flower with the accompanying pollen beetles, Meligethes erichsoni. Paederus littoralis were seen without looking for them on the path through the scrub in the north-west of Mill Hill.

5 & 10 June 2007 These small green beetles Cryptocephalus  and small black pollen beetles Meligethes are commonly seen in spring. The most common plant the black pollen beetles visit is the Hawkbit illustrated on the right. A different species of Meligethes may visit Horseshoe Vetch and another one for Oil Seed Rape.  Royal Horticultural Society web page on Pollen Beetles (Meligethes species) Checklist of UK Recorded Nitidulidae

The most likely species for the green beetle seems to be Cryptocephalus aureolus.  I have recorded this beetle on Hawkbits, Bulbous Buttercups, Kidney Vetch, Pyramidal Orchid and probably* on Mouse-eared Hawkweed. All these occurrences are evidenced by photographs. (*Plant ID is unclear from the photograph.) Checklist of UK Recorded Chrysomelidae

30 August 2006
 

A Violet Ground Beetle, Carabus violaceus, hid underneath the discarded chestnut fencing on the Pixie Path.

29 July 2006
A female Stag Beetle was flying around in our lounge in Mill Hill Close (south of Mill Hill) after darkness. This is number five we have seen. They were surprisingly nimble in flight but very noisy.

18 June 2006 The remains of three Stag Beetles were seen on a woodland path at Lancing Ring. Some predator (experts think of Magpies) must have eaten the juicy bits. The beetle Dascillus cervinus was also discovered. This fawn coloured beetle is a common downland species. Image of Dascillus cervinus Photographs by Ray Hamblett on the  Lancing Ring Nature Notes and on flickr British Insects & Other Arthropods

12 June 2006 Thick-legged Flower Beetle  Oedemera nobilis This is an abundant and widespread species.

2 June 2006
A Devil's Coach Horse Beetle was seen underneath the discarded chestnut fencing on the the Pixie Path.
 

27 May 2006 This little red beetle was spotted on the Sompting Brooks, where the gardens meet the wild strouds. It is only about 6 mm long. Report & Photograph by June Bratton It is Endomychus coccineus and it is sometimes called the False Ladybird. It feeds on the fungus on the bark of rotten deciduous trees.  Identification by Malcolm Storey (BioImages) on the British Insects Yahoo Group

15 May 2006 A species of Click Beetle (Elateridae) on the lower slopes of Mill Hill. ID by Bill Grange The underneath picture is the insect inverted.    Paederus littoralis were still present under the discarded Chestnut fencing on the Pixie Path.

7 May 2006 This small species of bug or beetle (leaf beetle?) was seen in a garden in north Shoreham. It looks like a pest species.

9 April 2006
The beetles Paederus littoralis were still present under the discarded Chestnut fencing on the Pixie Path.

18 January 2006
Under the discarded Chestnut fencing on the Pixie Path, most of the dozen wood lice and a few spiders scampered off too quickly for the camera. One colourful Rove Beetle (Staphylinida) was slower and is shown on the left. There were three or four of these flightless beetles known as Paederus littoralis. The book (Chinery) says that this beetle is to be found in damp places. The specific name rather indicates the shore. These beetles contain a fluid called paederin which can cause the skin to peel and is more serious if it comes into contact with your eyes. There are examples of serious dermatitis caused by this substance (Beetle Juice). The front of the abdomen is called the elytra.

The identification has not been confirmed, but it seems probable. The British species of the same genus are:

Paederus caligatus Erichson, 1840
Paederus fuscipes Curtis, 1826
Paederus littoralis Gravenhorst, 1802
Paederus riparius (Linnaeus, 1758)  The specific name indicates a river.

This is a hardy species and one specimen has survived 22 days to 2 March 2006 in an airtight container (35 mm film capsule) without food or water.

British Beetles Yahoo Group

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