be retained on the Forest. Over the centuries, through the burning of lopped wood and the eating of
meat from commoners' animals, large amounts of nutrients must have been removed from the Forest
without being replaced. Not all dung remained on the Forest. It was obviously being removed in such
quantity in the year 1733 (CAI p. 125) that the Court of Attachments ordered that the keepers were to
'hinder the poor people from gathering up the dung and laying it in heaps in order to carry it away
upon their own lands'. It was obviously regarded as a valuable resource by cottagers who wanted it
as fertiliser for their own gardens. Later there are further presentments recorded on the attachment
roll of individuals 'laying dunghills' on the Forest.
A List of Beetles and Flies associated with Dung Found in Epping Forest
DIPTERA
Ceratopogonidae
Forcipomyia brevipennis
Stratiomyidae
Microchrysa polita
Sargus cuprarius
Asilidae
Asilus crabroniformis
Empididae
Ocydromia glabricula
Syrphidae
Rhingia campestris
Eristalis tenax
Otitidae
Seioptera vibrans
Sepsidae
Sepsis cynipsea
fulgens
orthocnemis
violacea
Sphaeroceridae
Borborillus uncinatus
Chaetopodella scutellaris
Coproica acutangula
Copromyza equina
similis
stercoraria
Leptocera fontinalis
nigra
Limosina silvatica
Lotophila atra
Opalimosina collini
simplex
Spelobia clunipes
Sphaerocera curvipes
Calliphoridae
Lucilia sericata
Scathophagidae
Scathophaga stercoraria
Anthomyiidae
Hylemyia strenua
Lasiomma meadi
Nupedia aestiva
Paregle radicum
Pegohylemya fugax
Fanniidae
Fannia canicularis
Muscidae
Azelia macquarti
Dasyphora cyanella
Gymnodia humilis
Hebecnema affinis
umbratica
Helina depuncta
duplicata
impuncta
Hydrotaea albipuncta
dentipes
Mesembrina meridiana
Morellia hortorum
simplex
Musca autumnalis
domestica
Mydaea ancilla
Orthellia viridis
Polietes albolineata
laidaria
Stomoxys calcitrans
Ontholestes murinus
Oxytelus laqueatus
Philonthus addendus
intermedius
jurgans
longicorn is
splendens
Quedius scitus
Geotrupidae
Typhaeus typhoeus
Geotrupes spiniger
stercorarius
Scarabeidae
Aphodius ater
conspurcatus
constans
contaminatus
depressus
equestris
fimetarius
ictericus
prodromus
pusillus
rufipes
sordidus
sphacelatus
rufescens
zenkeri
Colobopterus erraticus
fossor
haemhorrhoidalis
Heptaulacus testudinarius
Onthophagus coenobita
fracticornis
COLEOPTERA
Hydrophilidae
Cercyon analis
atomarius
haemorrhoidalis
melanocephalus
pygmaeus
quisquilius
terminatus
tristis
Cryptopleurum minutum
Sphaeridium scarabaeoides
Histeridae
Onthophilus striatus
Paralister carbonarius
Staphylinidae
Anotylus inustus
nitidulus
tetracarinatus
Atheta cauta
ischnocera
longicornis
melanaria
pygmaea
Nomenclature follows Kloet, G. S and Hincks. WD A Check List of British Insects Handbk. Ident Br, Ins. Vol. XI pt, 3 Coleoptera
(1977) and Vol. XI pt. 5 Diptera (1975) except Sphaeroceridae which follows Pitkin, B.. (1988) Lesser Dung-flies (Diptera:Sphaeroceridae)
Handbk. Ident, Br Ins. Vol. X pt, 5e.
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