How one woman's love of beetles led to a discovery not seen for nearly a century

Hobbies and interests come in all shapes and sizes, but one woman's passion for beetles has led to the remarkable rediscovery of a species not seen on the island of Ireland for almost a century.

Last spotted in 1934, the Saprinus semistriatus – more commonly known as the carrion clown beetle - has remained a mystery to experts with occasional sightings contained to Great Britain, primarily the south of England.

That was until a self-confessed "beetle enthusiast" from Northern Ireland made the discovery during what she described as "a routine after-work survey" of Benone Strand in County Londonderry.

The 2024 sighting has been verified by experts and remains the most recent recording of the species in the UK and Ireland.

"I was really lucky to come across a dead hedgehog in the sand dune slacks and when I took a look underneath I found the little beetle," Mel McQuitty told BBC News NI.

"It's a really fantastic looking beetle, it's very unique and records show it hasn't been seen in quite some time which is great news."

Having carried out routine surveying of the area over the past three years, McQuitty was unaware how significant her observation was when she officially logged it.

It was only when the sighting was verified by the Centre for Environmental Data and Recording (CEDaR) - which is where discoveries from the general public are collected - that she knew she had come across something special.

"There are thousands of species in Ireland and, as an amateur, every beetle is pretty special.

"I knew it was a type of clown beetle and it's family but I didn't realise it would be so rare!

"It was an honour to get to see it and set it on its way again," she said.

When it comes to biodiversity, Northern Ireland is one of the most nature-depleted regions in the world, with one in nine species at risk of extinction.

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera) hopes its Nature Recovery Strategy will help reverse some of the loss.

For McQuitty, having started her personal 'beetle drive' as a way of helping to improve Northern Ireland's understanding of biodiversity, she said every beetle captured is more than "just a beetle".

"I think it's really exciting, I survey all the time and I try to find as much as I can so all those records are important to me. But it's fantastic to find and know that stuff is still out there that you thought maybe wasn't."

Academic and beetle expert Dr Roy Anderson, who has found new species of beetle in the past, verifies beetle species like McQuitty's observation of a Saprinus semistriatus.

"It's a tiny little thing, only about three or four millimetres long, easily overlooked."

It's size, preferred habitat – carcasses of animals - and changes in climate could explain why it is rarely recorded.

"I have never seen the species, but there's a similar species called Saprinus aeneus , which I come across occasionally on the shores of Lough Neagh," he continued.

"This one has always been rare and it's interesting that it's turned up on the north coast of Northern Ireland, because there's so many other beetle species advancing their range through climate change."

Helen James, Senior Curator of Natural Sciences for the National Museums NI said being able to trace the history of the species showed the importance of historic specimen collections which pre-date the data available online, the earliest being from 1894 in Portrush.

The CEDaR is Northern Ireland's only Local Environmental Record Centre and is funded by the carrier bag levy.

Amy Laird is the Learning and Engagement Officer at CEDaR.

"We operate primarily to collate and collect records from across NI together into one central data base.

"We work with different experts, professionals and citizen scientists and then we are able to inform biodiversity, conservation, and research from that data base," she said.

"This shows that even one record can make a big difference.

"Working with citizen scientists is essential, it covers so much more ground than members of staff can alone, they can fill in a lot of knowledge gaps."

McQuitty wants to encourage more people to take up surveying.

"I love people but I don't understand why they don't have the same love for beetles as me," she said.

"I think they are fantastic and they look spectacular – the more people we have out taking time, slowing down and looking at the small things the better."

She believes the government should do more to encourage citizen science through funding.

And it's not just at home that McQuitty can be found searching for beetles - "I don't go anywhere on holidays without the kit - if there's a beetle I'll survey it.

"You can really see the difference in Europe, a lot of large species especially in around Denmark."