Short-Necked Oil Beetle rediscovered in Wales after 60 years

A rare beetle has been found breeding in Wales for the first time in around 60 years. Conservationists discovered larvae of the Short-Necked Oil Beetle at Castlemartin Range in Pembrokeshire in 2025, after three years of searching. The species had not been seen in Wales since roughly 1948, mainly because habitat loss nearly wiped it out. Earlier surveys at the same site found only dead adults, so finding live larvae is an important sign. The beetle is classified as nationally rare and is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. It depends on solitary bees to complete its lifecycle and needs thick vegetation and plenty of flowers to survive. Castlemartin Range is currently the only place in Wales where the species lives.