Tristan found three beetles of note at Bookham last April. The first was the click beetle Ampedus rufipennis: a rare inhabitant of ancient woodland and wood pasture habitats with a scattered distribution in southern England; most records come from the Windsor area. Larvae develop in white rotten wood of beech and other deciduous trees. Despite their distinctive appearance, many Ampedus species are extremely similar to one another and difficult to identify without a specimen.
The second notable find was the longhorn beetle Pyrrhidium sanguineum.This was formerly a very rare species confined to the Welsh borders, but it has appeared more widely in recent years, probably due to movement of timber. Larvae develop under the bark of oak. This was first found at Bookham in 2011 and now seems to be well established.
Tristan’s third notable Coleoptera find was the fungus beetle Tritoma bipustulata. This is an uncommon beetle associated with the fruiting bodies of wood decay fungi, in particular the bracket fungus Trametes versicolor growing on beech and other deciduous trees.
Thanks to Tristan for this report. If you are interested in helping recording at Bookham Common please do come along on the second Saturday of the month and help us add to the valuable ongoing recording of the site.
Joe Beale
15th Feb 2019
