An interesting beetle

Amusingly the best record from our Moth Night event in the Alun Valley last Friday night wasn't a moth, but a beetle. The small dor beetle in the photo below was nestled in the bottom of one of my 6W Heath traps, and looked instantly distinctive due to the long rhinoceros horn on the head.

It was easily identified, using Brock's general insect guide, as Odonteus armiger. The guide stated this was a rare species found mostly in southern England, so I quickly checked the distribution online. The Welsh LRC data portal showed only one record for Wales, near Chepstow, but I also found a Radnorshire record mentioned on another website. I emailed Steve Bolchover, the Glamorgan beetle recorder, who confirmed it is new for Glamorgan.


It may well be under-recorded as, unlike most other dor beetles, it is mainly nocturnal and most often encountered in light traps. It is also unusual among dor beetles in feeding on subterranean fungi, rather than dung, both as an adult and a larva.