174 THE ESSEX NATURALIST
Fig. 1. Occurrence of L. bifasciatus in Essex. Solid black circles repre-
sent records of occurrence in and near Essex. The numbers represent
month and year of the first capture of the species in the locality.
It is found in most situations where other Lathridiid beetles
occur and, in mid-Essex at least, is often taken in greater
numbers than any related species. If it is a mould-feeder like
other Lathridiids, L. bifasciatus will probably not be greatly
influenced by competition for food.
It will be of interest to see how far the species spreads in
England, and how rapidly its range increases; also, to note whether
future spread is outwards from one centre, or from discrete estab-
lished sub-centres. In Essex, it would be interesting to know the
date of arrival of L. bifasciatus on the coastal islands. Intensive
searching failed to reveal it on the Essex Field Club Survey area
of Skippers Island up to 1961.