Found in a nest of the red ant Myrmica rubra at Clumber Park,
by Nick and Samantha Brownley in early April 2026, this Lomechusa emarginata appears to represent the first ever
record for Nottinghamshire and was one of two found at the time. This
may well turn out to be one of those 'look and you'll find' species, as
a second county record quickly followed later the same month, when one
was found in a large Formica fusca nest, underneath a reptile
refugia at Clipstone Old Quarter.
This remarkable Staphylinid beetle
spends the Winter in the nests of Myrmica ants, but leaves in
the Spring and actually seeks out and breeds in the nests of Formica
fusca during the Summer months. Formica
fusca is a large, black ant, found commonly throughout the
Sherwood Forest and Clumber areas of Nottinghamshire. |
