News from the beetle world of the Lower Oder Valley National Park
Among the ecologically very important ground beetles, a new species was discovered in the lower Oder valley, the black-edged bark beetle (Dromius schneiderii). Naturalist Dr. Ingo Scheffler has tracked down this flying beetle species, which hunts in the high parts of the trees from spring to autumn and spends the cold season at the base of the trunk under bark scales in winter. Through the flat physique and the inconspicuous coloring, the bark-runners are optimally adapted to the life on the bark. The ground beetle prefers sparse pine stands. The specimen shown here was found together with other species of the genus in Criewen Castle Park in December 2020 under sycamore bark.
Extensive field research, including on ground beetles, was conducted in the 1990s to prepare the maintenance and development plan. 25 years later, it is time to review the findings of that time and to supplement them with new research. The Lower Oder Valley National Park Foundation has taken on the task of supporting and publishing this work.
