Wormwood Moonshiner
Fast Facts
Latin name: Amara fusca
Notable feature: Dark brown beetle active at night.
Conservation Status: Endangered
Where in the UK: Brecklands, East Anglia. Also, a record from Newport, S Wales in 2011 but not seen since.
Wormwood Moonshiner (Amara fusca) © John Walters
The Wormwood Moonshiner (Amara fusca) is a nocturnal ground beetle (Carabidae) that has a very restricted UK distribution and highly specialised habitat requirements, preferring sparsely vegetated heathland on sandy or gravelly soils. It is considered to be one of the UK’s rarest beetles.
The Wormwood Moonshiner is closely associated with the Field Wormwood (Artemisia campestris) plant, itself Endangered and with a stronghold in the Brecks.
They have also been found on the closely related and much more common, Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris), as well as Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) in recent years. However, the viability of these plant species as an alternative food source is not well known.
After having not been seen in the UK since 1942, the endangered Wormwood Moonshiner was rediscovered in 1993 at Wangford in West Suffolk by Mark Telfer and Brian Eversham. Recent records suggest that the species is restricted to a handful of sites across Breckland, however, some of these populations are now thought to be lost.
It is listed as a Priority Species for conservation action in England.
- Size: ~7-8mm in length
- Life span: Annual
- Diet: As an adult, it feeds on the seeds of the Field Wormwood plant. As larvae, they are predators of other invertebrates.
- Reproduction: Not much is known about their lifecycle aside from the fact that it all happens near Field Wormwood.
- When to see: At night, all year round.
- Population Trend: Declining.
- Threats: Habitat loss due to urban/industrial development including road building/widening, inappropriate habitat management like mowing and grazing which prevent its food plant producing seeds.
- Interesting Fact: Adult Wormwood Moonshiner Beetles have been seen feeding on seeds even in cold weather with temperatures as low as -6 oC!
How you can help:
Buglife is helping the recovery of populations of the Wormwood Moonshiner via our Species Recovery project, but we need your help!
Volunteers are needed for the surveying and monitoring of the species. Visit the Wormwood Moonshiner project page for more information.
Join a recording scheme and log your finds –download the iRecord app and get recording!
Do remember that we rely on donations to continue our work. If you have searched, found and learned about our incredible invertebrates on our website, please do consider Making a Donation, Becoming a Member or maybe even making a purchase in our shop. For more ideas on how to support our work find out how to Get Involved. Thank you 🕷
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