Hebridean home for insect feared extinct 100 years ago

AN INSECT thought to have died out in the UK 100 years ago has reappeared in the Outer Hebrides.

The Limnephilus pati caddisfly was commonly seen in the Fenlands near Peterborough but had not been recorded in the UK for a century.

It was caught in a light trap set up by amateur entomologist Robin Sutton on South Uist, the furthest north it has ever been found.

He said: “I’ve been running a light trap on the Outer Hebrides for over four years but I couldn’t believe that the only location for a species thought to be extinct in Britain was in my back garden. It goes to show how much we still have to find out about these far-flung places.” Buglife, the insect charity, said more research was needed but one the- ory was that warmer conditions had pushed the caddisfly north over several generations, eventually reaching the Outer Hebrides which is now milder than it used to be, making for a more suitable habitat.

The species is also found on the Isle of Man and in Ireland, Germany, Denmark and Poland.

Craig Macadam, Buglife‘s conservation director, said. “It is really exciting that this species, thought to be extinct, has been rediscovered in the British Isles.

“We don’t know a lot about its requirements, but the discovery of this new population means that we might be a step closer to working out what has driven the declines of this species elsewhere.”