Hunt is on to rediscover elusive beetle hoped to be on beaches

CONSERVATIONISTS are keeping their antennae twitching for signs of a rare beetle last seen scuttling across a Devon beach in 2002.

- Laura Krusin

The hunt is on to rediscover the elusive strandline beetle, which may have escaped extinction by hiding in plain sight.

The strandline beetle (Eurynebria complanata), recognisable by its striking black and sand-coloured markings, is the focus of renewed conservation efforts by Buglife across South West England during 2025.

This distinctive 20mm-long beetle lives on sandy beaches bordered by dunes, where it forages along the tide line at night and shelters under driftwood during the day.

The last confirmed sighting in England was at Braunton Burrows in North Devon in 2002.