The beaver beetle Platypsyllus castoris Ritsema (Leiodidae: Pl?typsyl??nae) apparently established on reintroduced beavers in Scotland, new to Britain

摘要

The beaver beetle Platypsyllus castoris Ritsema is an obligate commensal of the two extant species of beaver (Mammalia: Gastoridae). The Eurasian beaver Castor fiber can now be found over much of its former native range from central and northern Europe discontinuously across Russia as far east as Mongolia, while its counterpart in the Nearctic region, the North American or Canadian beaver Castor canadensis, occurs widely across North America and as an introduction in Tierra del Fuego (south Argentina), northeast Europe and northwest Russia (Müller-Schwarze & Sun, 2003; Halley et al, 2012). Many European populations of Eurasian beaver have been successfully re-established during the past century as a result of conservation measures including hunting bans and reintroduction programmes (Halley & Rosell, 2002), following their near extinction in the late 19th century. This paper details the discovery of the beaver beetle on a wild-born female Eurasian beaver kit trapped at a trial reintroduction site in Scotland, thereby establishing the presence of the beaver beetle in the British insect fauna.