Water beetles are among the most diverse freshwater macro-invertebrates: in still waters, around half the species detected in a typical pond-net sample will be beetles. This makes these insects important to any understanding of wetland biodiversity.The water beetles of Yorkshire: an atlas
Yorkshire has a particularly rich fauna of aquatic Coleoptera. Amongst the groups covered by this atlas, 78% of the British species were recorded in the County in 2000-2016. This reflects the unique biogeography of our region, straddling the divide between the northern and western uplands and the eastern lowlands. Saltmarshes, ponds, fens, bogs, upland tarns, rivers and springs all support their own distinctive assemblages. Numerous species reach the northern or southern limit of their English distribution in Yorkshire, so this atlas will provide a baseline to help monitor future changes. Forty-eight Yorkshire water beetles are categorised as Nationally Scarce, 17 as Near Threatened and eight as Vulnerable.
This atlas is based on an intensive survey of Watsonian Yorkshire producing just over 62,000 records for the period 2000-2016. Records are mapped for each of the 210 species at a tetrad (2 x 2 km square) resolution, providing a fine-grained picture of regional distribution.
In addition to the species accounts, there is a brief history of water beetle recording in Yorkshire, a review of Quaternary subfossils, advice on survey methods, a summary of additional species recorded in the 19th and 20th centuries, and a chapter on wetland habitats.Elmis aenea: the most widespread riffle beetle in Yorkshire
The water beetles of Yorkshire by Martin Hammond
324 A5 pages, spiral bound
Published by Yorkshire & Humber Ecological Data Trust
Available for £6 + £2.95 p&p per copy from:
North & East Yorkshire Ecological Data Centre
10a Minster Gates, York YO1 7HL (we can also offer collection in person from the NEYEDC office in York, by arrangement).
Tel: 01904 641631, E-mail: info@neyedc.co.uk
Please make cheques payable to: Yorkshire & Humber Ecological Data Trust
The Friends of Rawcliffe Meadows 