Working to Preserve Wildlife for the Future The People’s Trust for Endangered Species was founded in 1977 with the aim of helping to ensure a future for many species of endangered creatures worldwide. Today people are becoming increasingly aware of the threat to wildlife and the alarming rate at which the numbers of many species are declining. The People’s Trust for Endangered Species is committed to working to preserve these species in their natural habitat for future generations to enjoy. To achieve these aims, the People’s Trust for Endangered Species funds specific scientific research projects, commissions research on important conservation issues, purchases reserves to help endangered or threatened species, runs an educational programme, organises symposia on conservation issues and encourages public participation in national surveys. Registered Charity Number: 274206 Registered Office: 15 Cloisters House, 8 Battersea Park Road, London SW8 4BG Tel: 020 7498 4533 Fax: 020 7498 4459 email: [email protected] www.ptes.org A people ’ S T R U st for en D angere D spec I E S PU bl I cat I on National Stag Beetle Survey 2002 Written by Matthew Smith Matthew Smith is a consultant entomologist based near Reading, who has worked on a wide range of entomological projects and has been fascinated by insects for over 30 years. He is co-organiser for the National Recording Scheme for Tachinid flies. His particular interests include bees and wasps, parasitic flies and beetles, particularly the stag beetle and noble chafer. He is a member of the BAP Steering Groups for both Stag Beetle and Noble Chafer. Picture credits: cover, male stag beetle on left, VCU at IACR-Rothamsted; female in centre, D. Rimes; male in centre, N. Brock; female on right, H.J. Danpure; p2, David Archer; p3 I. Smith; p5 PTES supporter; p12 S. Holmes. Copies of the 1998 National Stag Beetle Survey Report can be obtained from the People’s Trust for Endangered Species, 15 Cloisters House, 8 Battersea Park Road, London SW8 4BG. Tel. 020 7498 4533 Fax. 020 7498 4459 www.ptes.org © People’s Trust for Endangered Species, 2003 All rights reserved. Extracts of this publication can be taken for non-commercial, in-house use, subject to the source being acknowledged. Citation Information Smith, M.N. 2003. National Stag Beetle Survey 2002. London, People’s Trust for Endangered Species. ISBN 0-9540043-8-8 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library National Stag Beetle Survey 2002 Contents Summary Page 3 Introduction Page 4 Method Page 4 Results of the survey Page 6 Distribution Page 7 Numbers recorded Page 10 Type of record Page 10 Adult Feeding Page 11 Fighting and Mating Page 11 Predators and other hazards Page 11 Tree and Shrubs Page 11 Conclusion Page 12 References Page 12 Appendix Page 13 Male stag beetle and larva Page 2 National Stag Beetle Survey 2002 Summary TES is the Lead Partner of the Stag were also received from Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Beetle Species Action Plan (SAP) and Warwickshire, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk, P organised the first national survey counties where the beetle was not seen in 1998. of the beetle in 1998. This was very successful and resulted in the Information from the recorders indicates that production of up-to-date distribution maps for a range of animals are stag beetles predators. the stag beetle in the UK. This later survey was Magpies were the most frequently mentioned organised to gather further information on the predator. The actions of humans appear to have distribution of the species during 2002, when as great an impact on adult stag beetles as do it was hoped that many of the offspring of the natural predators. beetles recorded in 1998 would emerge. Although the results of the 2002 survey suggest In 2002, a total of 3033 records were received that the current distribution of the stag beetle from 1359 recorders. Although fewer records has changed little since the 1998 survey, further were received in 2002 than in 1998, the surveys will be required in future to establish proportion of records received from each any long term trends in the distribution of the county was very similar to that seen during species. n the 1998 survey. Category 1 records are those considered to be definite records for the stag beetle and Category 2 records are those where there was some question as to whether the record actually referred to the stag beetle or not. Overall, 2830 records were classed as Category 1 and 95 placed in Category 2. In addition, 108 recorders sent in ‘nil’ records i.e. Male stag beetle information on localities where they had not recorded any stag beetles. 75% of the 2002 Category 1 stag beetle records came from private gardens, with a further 22% from associated areas such as pavements, roads, town centres and local parks. Gardens, particularly in south-east England, do appear to be an important habitat for a large proportion of the stag beetle population in Britain. Particular ‘hotspots’ can be found in and around Bournemouth, South and South-east London. This survey recorded stag beetles from a total of 150 hectads (10km grid squares). The mapped distribution agrees well with that seen in the 1998 survey. The majority of stag beetle records came from south-east England with a scattering of records north to Yorkshire. The Thames Valley, South-east London, Dorset, Hampshire and Suffolk continue to produce good numbers of records. The small population around the Gloucester/ Worcestershire border is still present and stag beetles were re-recorded from Cardiff in Wales. Encouragingly, during 2002, records Page 3 National Stag Beetle Survey 2002 Introduction he Stag beetle Lucanus cervus is Forest Borough Council which recorded 30 Britain’s largest terrestrial beetle. sightings of the beetle. T Adult male beetles are easily recognised by their prominent Each record was assigned to one of two ‘antlers’, actually greatly enlarged categories. Category 1 records are those mandibles. Female beetles burrow down considered to be definite records for the stag beneath the surface of the ground to lay their beetle. Category 2 records are those where eggs and the larvae feed on rotten wood. there was some question as to whether the Larvae take at least three years to develop record actually referred to the stag beetle or before building a large, underground pupal not. Factors taken into consideration included cell. Adult beetles emerge from the pupae in the size of the beetle, colour, behaviour and late summer and remain underground before location. Larval records proved the most digging their way to the surface the following problematical, because young stag beetle summer. larvae are very similar in size and appearance to the larvae of other beetle species such Historically, the stag beetle has been recorded as the cockchafer Melolontha melolontha. from much of western Europe, though in A number of records were submitted with many countries it is now thought to be very photographs of the insect in question. These rare or even extinct. As a consequence, the proved very useful, particularly when trying to stag beetle is listed on Schedule II of the EC distinguish between records of small female Habitats Directive. In the UK, the stag beetle is stag beetles and large lesser stag beetle, classed as Nationally Scarce (Hyman & Parsons Dorcus parallelipipedus. In some instances, 1992) and the UK Biodiversity Group produced a stag beetle Species Action Plan (SAP) in 1995. The species was listed on Schedule 5 of the Wildlife & Countryside Act in 1998, making it illegal to trade in the species without an appropriate licence. In 1998 PTES became the Lead Partner of the stag beetle SAP and organised the first national survey of the beetle (Percy et al. 1999). This was very successful and resulted in the production of up-to-date distribution maps for the stag beetle in the UK. This later survey was organised to gather further information on the distribution of the species during 2002, when it was hoped that many of the offspring of the beetles recorded in 1998 would emerge. Recording forms were sent to people on request. Method Map 1 A total of 3033 records from 1359 recorders 2002 were received (Map 1). The great majority of SAG BEETLE SURVEY, these arrived on ‘Great Stag Hunt II’ recording records received by 10km2, forms produced by PTES, with just over 10% all categories of respondents sending in records via the PTES website. A few records were collated from other sources such as County Coleoptera recorders, newspaper reports or Local BAP recording efforts such as one run by Bracknell Page 4 National Stag Beetle Survey 2002 Map 2 follow-up calls were made to recorders 2002 Stag Beetle to obtain more information on particular SUrvey sightings, particularly those away from the Category 1 & 2 main area of distribution. Overall, 2830 records received records were classed as Category 1 and 95 as by 10km2 Category 2 (see Map 2). Key: Category 1 records In addition to the stag beetle records, 108 Category 2 recorders sent in ‘Nil’ records, i.e. information records regarding localities where they had not recorded any stag beetles. Records of this type are very useful when compiling distribution maps. In order to avoid confusion with Category 1 and 2 records, these were entered into the database as records for ‘Coleoptera sp.’ (Map 3). All records resulting from the 2002 survey, together with a few additional records for 2000 and 2001 submitted to PTES following publicity of earlier reports, were input into a ‘Recorder 3.3’ database.