Cornish Biodiversity Network  -  Supporting Wildlife Recording

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Cornish Red Data (2009)

The descriptive text, below the map, is from the Cornish Red Data Book (2009). The map on this web page depicts the organisms distribution and shows the records made pre-2000 and those made since.

Ophonus ardosiacus - A ground beetle



Range & Status

Very localised across southern England and mostly coastal.

Regional Distribution

A few very old records, but rediscovered at Treyarnon, near Portreath, and Perran Sands recently. One male was recorded by Ian Hoare along the cliff path near Treyarnon Bay in 1995.

Habitat & Ecology

Associated with flowery grasslands on calcareous soils, including wind-blown shelly sand situations.

Threats

Abandonment of coastal grazings, leading to coarsening of sward and scrub

development.

Conservation

The Portreath site is owned by The National Trust but is presently ungrazed.

Source:

I.J. Bennallick, S. Board, C.N. French, P.A. Gainey, C. Neil, R. Parslow, A. Spalding and P.E. Tompsett. eds. 2009. Red Data Book for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. 2nd Edition.Croceago Press.

The Cornish Red Data Book Project was led by the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Federation for Biological Recorders (CISFBR). The full text and species accounts (minus the maps) are available on the CISFBR website.