Saving the small things that run the planetThe Scaly Cricket or Atlantic Beach-cricket (Pseudomogoplistes vincentae) is a rare invertebrate species found on shingle beaches in the UK.
Quick Facts:
Until the late 1990s, the Scaly Cricket was thought to only be present in the coastal shingle habitat of Chesil Beach in Dorset. The first recorded discovery of the species was a single adult female on Chesil Beach in 1949. A male Scaly Cricket wasn’t recorded until 1977 in the same location. Up until that point many theorised that the Scaly Cricket bred parthenogenically (eggs are produced without fertilization by a male). Subsequently, the species was recorded at Branscombe Beach in Devon in 1998 and at Rousdon near Lyme Regis, Dorset in 2021.
The Scaly Cricket is thought to be an omnivorous scavenger, feeding along the strandline at night. They have a two-year lifecycle; the eggs, which are laid in driftwood, typically hatch, after a year, in June. The nymphs then complete their instars over the next year and become an adult the following summer.
There is still a lot to learn about the ecology of this species, and its habitat requirements. Our Scaly Cricket Project will help to close these knowledge gaps by undertaking surveys across the three known sites along in South England and further along the southwest and southeast coast of England to establish whether the Scaly Cricket is present at other locations.
During these surveys, we will also be recording other species present in the habitats to gain a better understanding of the invertebrates that are dependent on coastal shingle habitats.
By better understanding the ecology and habitat requirements of the Scaly Cricket, we can help to conserve these populations for the future.
We hope that this project will encourage ongoing survey and monitoring of the Scaly Cricket populations on existing sites and encourage volunteers to become involved in the survey and monitoring of the species.
Volunteers can get involved in the surveying and monitoring of the species at known locations. Please contact Conservation Officer, Paul Cawsey, for more information at [email protected].
We also encourage you to submit your Scaly Cricket sightings on the iRecord app.
The Scaly Cricket (Species Recovery Project) is generously funded by Natural England.
