Scottish Species Checklist

Invertebrates represent 98% of all species of plants and animals known to occur in Scotland. They provide many essential services, such as pollination (of crops and wild plants), soil and nutrient recycling, water purification, and of course many are the main food source for many birds and mammals. Therefore, it is essential that Buglife work with partners to conserve our Scottish invertebrates to halt extinctions and ensure their long-term survival.

The first step in conserving any animal group is to know what is present in the first place. While most invertebrates are under-recorded, collating the existing information allows us to identify knowledge gaps and target conservation action.

Under recording of invertebrates means in many cases we hold very little information about what species are present in Scotland. When completing many of the species dossiers there were a number of species highlighted as possibly occurring in Scotland although further data is needed. For example the Pseudoscorpion (a relative of spiders) Microbisium brevifemoratum (a sphagnum bog specialist) that may have been overlooked due to its small size and specialist habitat requirements.

The Scottish Invertebrates Species Knowledge Dossiers provide summaries of existing information for groups of invertebrates known to occur in Scotland. Information in each dossier has been prepared by experts, and provides basic information including a checklist of species known to occur in Scotland, distribution data sources and useful identification resources. This is the first time this information has been made available in a single place for invertebrate groups in Scotland.

Please click on the appropriate download links to view the completed Scottish Invertebrate Species Knowledge Dossiers. Additional Scottish Invertebrate Species Knowledge Dossiers will be published here as they are completed, and ultimately aim to provide basic summary information for all groups of invertebrates known to occur in Scotland.

The Scottish Invertebrate Species Knowledge Dossiers have contributed towards the implementation of the Strategy for Scottish Invertebrate Conservation.