The 16 species of bats that occur in the British Isles are all protected under current legislation, and their conservation is the subject of much scientific research and public concern. Of the many arthropod parasites carried by these bats, mites have colonized the greatest range of niches. This paper presents an annotated list of the 64 species of mite taken from British and Irish bats or their roosts to date. Previous published records are collated and in some cases emended, Steatonyssus noctulus, Alabidocarpus megalonyx, Stomatodex corneti and six as yet unnamed species are reported for the first time, while new host and distributional data are presented. A host-parasite list is provided.
Uniquely in Britain, the small island of Lundy has an endemic plant that supports two species of beetles that are also endemic. The Lundy Cabbage Weevil (currently called Ceutorhynchus contractus form pallipes) was originally distinguished from mainland C. contractus
by its yellow legs, but genetic and morphological studies have shown that f. pallipes can have either black or yellow legs. Over a period of 25 years we monitored the frequencies of the two colour varieties on its two main food plants, Coincya wrightii and Cochlearia danica.
Consistent differences were maintained, with roughly equal colour frequencies on Coincya wrightii and black individuals more common on Cochlearia danica, even when host-plants were growing close together. We provide possible explanations for this persistent but enigmatic difference.
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