146
Essex of beetle species that fall inlo certain of the categories of scarcity or threat. For reasons of
space, attention is restricted to species categorised as RDB1, RDB2, RDB3, RDBI, RDBK and
Extinct (see Hyman & Parsons, 1994, or various other sources, for definitions). Summarised in
the tables presented here are data, many of them adding to or emending the information
provided by Hyman & Parsons (1992, 1994) and others (see Table 3 for summary), on species
known to have been recorded from or found in Essex that fall into these highest conservation
categories. It is hoped that a similar summary and discussion of data concerning the rather
greater number of species of lower conservation status (Nationally Notable etc.) will follow at a
later date.
The pattern of apparent changes over time may be seen by examining Table 1, and are
summarised in Table 2.
Table 1.
Coleoptera species of high U.K. conservation status recorded from the county of Essex.
Column 1: Current conservation status as listed by Hyman & Parsons (1992, 1994).
Column 2: Recorded from the vice-county of North Essex.
Column 3: Recorded from the vice-county of South Essex.
Column 4: Recorded from Essex pre-1900.
Column 5: Recorded from Essex 1900-1949.
Column 6: Recorded from Essex 1950-69.
Column 7: Recorded from Essex post-1969.
Categories listed in column 1 arc 1 = Red Data Book category 1 - Endangered; 2 = Red Data
Book category 2 - Vulnerable; 3 = Red Data Book category 3 - Rare; I = Red Data Book
category I - Indeterminate; K = Red Data Book category K - Insufficenfly Known; E = Red
Data Book Appendix - Extinct. For explanation of these categories see Hyman & Parsons
(1994).
In columns 2 and 3 pre-1970 records are indicated by + and post-1969 records by *.
The figures in columns 4 to 7 indicate the number of 10-km squares for which there are Essex
records.
Square brackets indicate species for which Essex records are likely to be invalid.
Carabidae
Amara famelica Zimmermann
Amara strenua Zimmermann
Anisodactylus poeciloides (Stephens)
Brachinus sclopeta (Fabricius)
Dyschirius extensus Putzeys
Harpalus froelichi Sturm
Harpalus melancholicus Dejean
Harpalus obscurus (Fabricius)
Harpalus puncticollis (Paykull)
Essex Naturalist (New Series) 16 (1999)