NOTES AND SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS 
M. violaceus Marsham 
loss of grassland and heath to arable and forestry, 
agricultural improvement and stabilisation of cliff 
grasslands may all have contributed to their 
demise. It is pleasing to know, therefore, that M. 
proscarabaeus continues to be regularly recorded in 
Wiltshire (more records in 2002 than any previous 
year) and that we can now add M. rugosus to our list 
299 
too. Interestingly, M. violaceus Marsham, the third 
and most widespread of the species still recorded 
from Britain, has not been found in Wiltshire but is 
very likely to occur here. In size it resembles M. 
proscarabaeus, but it is usually distinctly bluish- 
violet in colour and has a distinct dip at the base of 
the pronotum, missing in M. rugosus. 
Bibliography 
RAMSAY, A. 2002. British oil beetles. British Wildlife, 14 
(1), 27-30 
WHITEHEAD,PE 1990. Further observations on Meloe 
rugosus Marsham (Col. Meoidae) in Worcestershire. 
Entomologist’s monthly Magazine, 126, 110 
