Beetle found in county for first time since 1821

One of Britain’s largest species of beetle has been found in Dorset for the first time in more than 200 years.

A Bournemouth University student discovered two great silver water beetles while surveying animal and plant life in the Blackmore Vale as part of his master’s degree.

Wren Franklin checked his discovery with the county’s recorder for beetles, who confirmed the last recorded sighting of them was in 1821 by influential entomologist JC Dale.

The UK’s heaviest beetle, the great silver water beetle is regarded as a gentle giant, rather than an aggressive predator, and mostly scavenges plant material for food.

“It was a really exciting discovery. As soon as I found them, I knew I’d come across something special,” Mr Franklin said.

“Great silver water beetles are often found in the Somerset Levels, so this begs the question: have they been hiding undetected in the Blackmore Vale for two centuries or have they recolonised recently whilst looking for new habitats?

“We’ll never know, but it is great to find them using newly-created wetland habitat.”

Great silver water beetles have adapted to spend most of their time in water and reed beds, although they do fly between bodies of water.

Mr Franklin said we should keep looking out for wildlife because human activity has caused so many threats to biodiversity.

“People know about the threats faced by big animals in other parts of the world, but there are also loads of fascinating species in our own neighbourhoods which are equally imperilled,” he said.

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