A review of rare Scottish pot beetles with information on surveys for six-spotted (Cryptocephalus sexpunctatus) and ten-spotted (Cryptocephalus decemmaculatus) pot beetles

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2021

Original Publication

The Glasgow naturalist

Volume

27

Series / Issue

Issue: 3

Pages

14-18

Contributed by

Glasgow Natural History Society

Language

English

Published by

Glasgow Glasgow Natural History Society

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.37208/tgn27306

 

Abstract

Pot beetles (genus Cryptocephalus) are a fascinating group of beetles. Of the 19 species found in the U.K., 11 have been recorded in Scotland and seven of these have conservation designations. Buglife have successfully run public surveys in 2017, 2018 and 2019 for the six- spotted pot beetle (Cryptocephalus sexpunctatus) (Fig. 1) at Kirkconnell Flow, in Dumfries & Galloway and the ten-spotted pot beetle (C. decemmaculatus) (Fig. 2) at Black Wood of Rannoch in Perthshire. At Kirkconnell Flow, the six-spotted pot beetles were rediscovered during the first year of the survey in extremely low numbers, with a new colony found in the north of the site in 2019. At Black Wood of Rannoch, the ten-spotted pot beetle has now been recorded at three adjacent 1 km squares within the Camghouran area.