| This quite
large and distinctive beetle is perhaps reminiscent of
several species of Cantharidae (Soldier Beetles) but
habitually it is different, often being recorded indoors.
Sometimes more commonly referred to as the Wharf Borer, Nacerdes
melanura is predominantly a species of coastal areas
in the south of England and Wales. It is known to occur
in Midlands counties and there are a number of
Nottinghamshire records listed on the NBN Atlas, although
most of these are duplicates of records from Bestwood in
1958 and 1959 - both records probably originating from the
former Bestwood Colliery. The only recent records we know
of, come from the Colwick area of Nottingham in 2018
(Matthews, D.) and Netherfield Lagoons
in 2019 (Smith, P.). Our
thanks go to Darren Matthews for providing us with the
opportunity to photograph the specimen below. |
