Although not immediately apparent at first glance, Metopsia clypeata is
a tiny Staphylinid (<3mm) which appears to be relatively uncommon
throughout Nottinghamshire, based on the few records we have. Much
of this may be purely down to size and difficulty in finding, often
requiring patience sorting through trays of vegetation. The ones
illustrated, turned up whilst sieving old straw at the Sherwood Forest
CP in late March 2020 and in a leaf litter sample, taken from a disused
railway line at Market Warsop in April 2020. |