Rediscovered oil beetle in Devon, UK (1 Viewer)

Everything that appears extinct is not necessarily so - you just need to go on looking for 60 years!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/6464531.stm

I recently read that in another forum, but it's really amazing how they've been gone for 60 years and they come back being discovered

In natural history recording nothing surprises me any more. The number of Coleopterists in Britain is very small indeed, it could be years after a species has become extinct, that the fact that it has become extinct is noticed.

Similarly the rediscovery of a supposedly extinct species shouldn't raise an eyebrow when the Order that it belongs to isn't very popular with recorders.

In the last half century I have met numerous entomologists, very few of whom had any interest in Coleoptera. The people who do record them are so few and far between, that there will never be a good coverage of either the presence or the distribution of British Beetle species.

Harry

Shameful that it was declared "extinct" on poor evidence and "experts" and activists frequently stretch poor data (or no data) into "knowledge" about insect conservation.

There is a kind of epidemy of creating lists of species and assigning them threatened status out of thin air or on very poor evidence. They are then presented as well-founded and start life as authoritative truth for conservation. So charities and newspapers are choking with idiotic statements like "79% of British beetles are endangered" "number of endangered birds grew to 1074" etc.

I don't think it's quite that bad - not in UK, at least!
There was a an extensive series of studies a few years back which gave fairly good data for classifying rarity of most British beetles.
There are, of course, some weaknesses in that the status of some beetles change - the orange ladybird, Halyzia sedecimguttata was never rare but it was certainly an uncommon beetle confined to ancient woodlands until the end of the last century: it is now very common! I think this change has occurred elsewehere in Eurtope. Obviously lists need to be reviewed in the light of these changes.
Another problem is that entomologists tend to concentrate searches on areas where species are known to have occurred - large populations, such as this one, may thus be overlooked. As Harry says, we need more entomologists looking for beetles!
Of course, you're right that the media often exaggerate ....
Best wishes, Paul

jurek said:

Shameful that it was declared "extinct" on poor evidence and "experts" and activists frequently stretch poor data (or no data) into "knowledge" about insect conservation.

There is a kind of epidemy of creating lists of species and assigning them threatened status out of thin air or on very poor evidence. They are then presented as well-founded and start life as authoritative truth for conservation. So charities and newspapers are choking with idiotic statements like "79% of British beetles are endangered" "number of endangered birds grew to 1074" etc.

Click to expand...

paul mabbott said:

Of course, you're right that the media often exaggerate ....
Best wishes, Paul

Click to expand...

Glowworms are one example of a species that is more widespread than is often implied, and one of the last times I picked up a copy of that torch of truth known as the Daily Express I read an article that listed the Purple Hairstreak Butterfly as endangered.

Cheers

SW