Lochmaea suturalis
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Lochmaea suturalis, commonly referred to as the heather beetle, is a beetle of the genus Lochmaea native to north-west Europe. It feeds upon heather. They are difficult to spot as they are camouflaged with a brownish colour, and are about 6 millimetres (0.24 in) long. They have a tendency to hide, and they drop into the undergrowth if they are disturbed. They are easier to see when in large numbers on the same plant.
The adult beetle spends the winter in dormant diapause in moss or litter in the undergrowth of the heather plants, and they do this until the spring weather brings a rise in temperature, which stimulates them to emerge, feed, and reproduce. They are able to fly up to a range of several miles after spring emergence. They will generally do this after fire, when the surrounding heather is of poor quality, or if the heather has been browsed enough that it turns into grassland. They do however, have a level of resilience and are able to survive for some time in grassland such as Deschampsia flexuosa. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cairngorms National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leeds | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Heather Beetle sighting in Manchester on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 346th most-seen of the 458 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Heather Beetle in Manchester on a given day, against under 5% in June to April, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Heather Beetle sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Heather Beetle sightings, Manchester ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Leeds (United Kingdom, about 10%).
Same family: Chrysomelidae
The closest relatives of the Heather Beetle that you can see in Manchester (family Chrysomelidae, Leaf Beetles) are Alder Leaf Beetle (about 40%), Rosemary Beetle (about 20%) and Green Dock Beetle (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Heather Beetle is recorded against all the insects logged in Manchester (7 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
