Following the report of details of another Suffolk colony of the Cellar Beetle Blaps mucronata in the last issue of White Admiral (Summer, 2003, 55: 31), I was pleased to be contacted about two other sites where a Blaps sp. had been observed.
John Baker wrote to me informing me that he had noted cellar beetles when working during 2000–2003 in the building which houses the offices of the herpetological charity Froglife Ltd. in the Market Place, Halesworth (TM 386774). He very kindly told staff there that I would be interested in confirming the identity of one of the beetles if one could be sent to me when it turned up. On October 14th 2003 one was found on the ground floor of the building by Becca Cleaver who sent it on to me and I was able to confirm it as a specimen of B. mucronata which, from its soft wing cases, was plainly only recently emerged from a pupa. This record confirms the continued presence of the beetle in Halesworth after a gap of 60 years; there are specimens in Claude Morley’s collection taken in a Halesworth cellar in 1943.
Another record of the beetle has been supplied by Stuart Gant who found a specimen at Brantham in June 1999 in a bale of straw bought for his guinea pigs from the Four Sisters Farm, Stratford St Mary (TM 0636). On June 11th this year another specimen turned up in his garden on/in a piece of plastic on top of his compost heap at Brantham (TM 1033). It is likely that this beetle had its origins at the same farm and may have been introduced as a small larva to Stuart’s garden, completing its development in a sheltered spot such as the garden shed or even, if left undisturbed, in the warmth at the bottom of the compost heap. Blaps are unable to maintain themselves in the open in this country for any length of time, any such colonies dying out after a few seasons. I have also been promised a specimen from another locality and hope to be able to comment on this in due course.
I thank John Baker and Becca Cleaver for their interest and taking the trouble to send a voucher specimen and Stuart Gant for allowing me to include his record
David R. Nash, 3 Church Lane, Brantham, Suffolk CO11 1PU
© 2003 Suffolk Naturalists' Society