1/5 Putting the finishing touches to a report on an invertebrate survey of a single well-structured ex-agricultural field on The Great Fen Project over summer 2020. The site produced an amazing 946 spp., 63 with formal status.

@greatfen @wildlifebcn

2/5 63 ground beetle spp. recorded (17% of British fauna), 9 with formal status: Anthracus consputus, Badister dilatatus, B. unipustulatus, Bembidion octomaculatum, Demetrias monostigma, Oodes helopoides (pictured), Pterostichus anthracinus, P. gracilis and Stenolophus teutonus.

3/5 22 spp. of Sciomyzidae – indicators of quality wetlands – incl. 8 species with status: Anticheta brevipennis, A. obliviosa, Pherbellia brunnipes, P. dorsata, P. griseola, P. nana, Psacadina verbekei, Tetanocera punctifrons. Although some may not deserve a status anymore.

4/5 Marginal ditches had a good water beetle fauna. 40 spp. recorded incl. 6 with formal status: Dryops similaris, Agabus undulatus, Hydaticus seminiger, Berosus luridus, Enochrus nigritus, E. quadripunctatus, Helophorus nanus. All scarce spp. are fen specialists to some degree.

5/5 The list includes many old fen species that have colonised from nearby Holme Fen, including the very restricted snail killing fly Anticheta obliviosa. An indication that such species will colonise recently developed suitable habitat if it’s close to existing sites.