COLEOPTERAN ASSOCIATIONS IN THE BRITISH ISLES DURING THE LATE QUATERNARY PERIOD

Abstract

Summary1. The fauna of the climatic optimum of the Eemian Interglacial period contained thermophilous species and as such indicates a climate at least as warm as that today.2. The Chelford fauna dating from ca. 57,000 years before the present is comparable to that of Finland and Soviet Karelia. An analysis of the Carabidae suggests that within Scandinavia it is comparable with that which occurs at the top of the regio quercina.3. The Upton Warren fauna contains stenothermal arctic and boreal species and one Uralian species. The Carabidae suggest a comparison with the regio coniferina in Scandinavia.4. The Fladbury fauna has a large number of stenothermal arctic and boreal species and the Carabidae suggest a comparison with the top of the regio betulina in Scandinavia.5. The Colney Heath fauna contains stenothermal and stenotopic arctic and boreal species. The Carabidae suggest a comparison with the regio coniferina in Scandinavia.6. The St Bees fauna only contains a few remains of stenothermal boreal species and there is a considerable change in the percentage representation of the dominant species within the deposit.7. The stenothermal arctic element largely disappeared from the lowland fauna in a period of some 1600 years during pollen zone I.8. The thermophilous species immigrated into north‐west Europe in some 3000 years between pollen zones III and VII.9. Heliophilous species are well represented in Full‐ and Late‐glacial deposits. Their present restricted distribution is the result of Post‐glacial afforestation.10. Halophilous species have undergone a restriction in their range comparable to that of the heliophilous species.11. It is possible that certain observed distributional anomalies previously thought to result from glacial survival and subsequent extension of range may be the result of Post‐glacial survival in areas where there was only limited afforestation.12. During the late Quaternary era the changes in the distribution of the beetles parallel those of the angiosperms and gymnosperms.13. In terms of the Full‐, Late‐ and Post‐glacial periods the terminocratic grouping includes boreo‐alpine, northern oceanic, eurythermal and heliophilous species. The mediocratic grouping includes southern continental and oceanic eurythermal species.