Cornish Biodiversity Network - Supporting Wildlife Recording
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.
Range & Status
Always a great rarity, only one site is currently known anywhere in Britain.
Regional Distribution
Old records only: Isles of Scilly (J.R. Le B. Tomlin, 1912), Gerrans Bay and Whitsand Bay (G.C. Champion, 1897) and Bude (1906).
Habitat & Ecology
A little known species, presumably feeding mainly on seeds.
Threats
Development of coastal habitats; coarsening of vegetation through lack of grazing and/or trampling, with consequent loss of open sandy areas; coastal protection works.
Conservation
Much of the more sensitive coastline is now protected by SSSI designations. This species is listed on the UK BAP Priority Species list (2007).
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.