Trinodes hirtus (Fabricius) (Dermestidae) new to Sussex from the Knepp Wildland Project

摘要

Two specimens of the very rare and highly localised Trinodes hirtus (Fabricius) were found by RM on exposed dead sapwood in a cavity on an isolated old field oak (TQ142196) in the New Barn Farm area of the southern block of the Knepp Castle Estate in West Sussex (VC 13), 16.vi.2019. The tree is a maiden and the girth at breast height was estimated at 4m. This area has been part of the Knepp Wildland project since 2003 (Tree, 2018). Although farmed conventionally up until the turn of the century, the Estate's veteran trees had mostly been retained. The Wildland project has benefitted from the survival of so many field and hedgerow trees and has effectively converted conventional farmland into a large-scale ancient wood pasture system. The farmland tree population includes a relatively high density of ancient and veteran oaks. The suspicion that the area might be rich in saproxylic beetles is proving to be correct.