One of Britain’s largest species of beetle has been found in Dorset, over 200 years since its last recorded sighting in the county.
The great silver water beetle (Hydrophilus piceus) is the heaviest beetle in the UK and can grow up to 5 centimetres long.
Wren Franklin, a Masters student at Bournemouth University, found two of the beetles whilst surveying animal and plant life in ponds in the Blackmore Vale as part of research for his Biodiversity Conservation course.
Wren checked his discovery with Adrian Mylward, Dorset’s county recorder for Beetles, who confirmed that the only other recorded sighting in the county was in1821 by one of Britain’s most influential entomologists, JC Dale.
“It was a really exciting discovery, as soon as I found them, I knew I’d come across something special,” said Wren. “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,” he added.
Despite its imposing size, the beetle is a gentle giant rather than an aggressive predator and mostly scavenges plant material for its food. Its body has adapted to spend most of its time in the water and reed beds, although they do fly between water bodies.
With so many threats to biodiversity because of human activity, Wren wants to encourage as many people as possible to keep looking out for wildlife when they are out and about in nature and appreciate what is around them.
“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.
He is also keen for people to engage with citizen science and help influence conservation efforts by reporting wildlife that they see.
“Take a look in bodies of water and you might be surprised at what’s there. The great silver water beetle is hard to miss but if you don’t look, you won’t see! If something catches your eye, take a photo on your phone but don’t just show it your friends or partners. Do a bit of searching online or in books to see if you can identify what you have found. Much work to understand and conserve wildlife is based on records made by interested members of the public. Help and advice can be found by contacting Dorset wildlife trust or Dorset Environmental Records Centre,” Wren said.
