Invertebrates

The recorded insect fauna of both Moors exceeds 5500 species (c.25% of the British fauna) with over 30 Red Data Book Species and over 250 nationally scarce species, including six known from no other sites in Britain (Eversham, 1997). Three of the latter were new to Britain in 1992 (Skidmore, 1992; Eversham, 1997). Thorne Moors, in terms of its invertebrate fauna, has been recorded as the richest peatland site in Britain, containing the fourth largest assemblage of rare species of any site (Ball, 1992). Hatfield Moor is in the top ten of such sites (Heaver and Eversham, 1991; Key, 1991) and is acknowledged as being under-recorded (Skidmore, 1997). The Moors are notable as the only British localities for the RDB1 ground beetle Bembidion humerale and the RDB1 pill beetle Curimopsis nigrita, both of which are rare throughout Europe. Phaonia jaroschewskii, a RDB2 Muscid has only been recorded in the UK from the Moors.

Photo Keith Heywood
Large Heath Butterfly Coenonympha tullia on Crowle Moors

Generic isolation of several thousands of years has produced forms of the Large Heath Butterfly Coenonympha tullia which differs from populations elsewhere in Britain (ibid).

A considerable amount of work has been carried out on the Moors' palaeoentomological (fossil insect) invertebrate interest. This was initiated by Prof. Paul Buckland with his seminal work on the fossil insects from the Bronze Age trackway on Thorne Moors, followed by MSc research by Tessa Roper and Nicki Whitehouse. Subseqeuntly, Nicki undertook her doctoral thesis concentraing on the fossil insects (Coleoptera) from Hatfield Moors.

Photo P. Seccombe:
Libellula quadrimaculata (Four-Spotted Chaser Dragonfly)
on Hatfield Moors

Please click here for a checklist of Orthopteroid Orders on Thorne Moors

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