Rare Beetle Is Found On Wimbledon Common

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Insect hasn't ever been seen by most experts

The "globally rare" False Click Beetle, Eucnemis capucina, has been found on Wimbledon Common by London's Natural History Museum during an insect survey.

Dr Max Barclay, manager of the musuem's beetle collection, said "no-one I know has ever seen it" with the newest specimens at the museum dating back to the 1930s.

He said: "This beetle is associated with only the best and oldest woodlands, and previously was known only from the New Forest and Windsor Forest.

"Insects are the bottom of the animal food chain, so if insect populations are healthy it bodes well for bats, birds and other animals."

Keita Matsumoto, who found the insect, said: "It was a lucky shot. I'm pleased I was swinging my insect net that afternoon instead of my tennis racquet."

The survey recorded more than 100 species of beetle, many of which had not been reported in the area before.

July 24, 2015