Summary details for Pseudomaro aenigmaticus Denis, 1966

Distribution

P. aenigmaticus has been recorded from single localities in Cornwall, Dorset, Hampshire and Hertfordshire. It is also known from Belgium, Luxemburg, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Poland, Italy and China. [See http://www.theoblick.homepage.t-online.de/Pseudomaro/Pseudomaro-Records.html ]. Males have been found, but not yet formally described.

Habitat and ecology

On the continent this species has been recorded from caves and cellars, while in Britain it has been collected from chalk grassland in Dorset and Hampshire, fields of winter wheat in Hertfordshire (Merrett in Bratton 1991) and the field layer of a woodland edge near the coast in Cornwall (M. George pers. comm.). The habitat for this species is not known but it is suspected to live in ants' nests or in fissures in the soil. Adult females have been found between November and February.

Status

This species is rare over its recorded range. Only five females have ever been found in Britain.

Threats

Not enough is known about this species to identify any threats or make any management recommendations.

Management and conservation

Although the exact micro-habitat requirements of this species need to be determined, an important interim measure would be to avoid excessive soil compaction by agricultural machinery in areas where it is known to occur. Text based on Dawson, I.K., Harvey, P.R., Merrett, P. & Russell-Smith, A.R. (in prep.).