Cercyon quisquilius (Linnaeus, 1761)

A widespread native Palaearctic species occurring throughout Europe and Asia to the far north of Scandinavia, across North Africa and Asia Minor, it is now Holarctic having been introduced into North America around 1920 it now occurs across southern Canada south to Mexico and, following more recent introductions, is established widely in South America, southeast Australia and on many oceanic islands including Hawaii and through much of the Caribbean. In the UK it is widespread and generally common across England and Wales, although seemingly absent from the West Country, and sporadic in southern Scotland. Throughout Europe it occurs from lowland to subalpine altitudes. They are coprophagous but will also develop in a range of decaying organic matter e.g. compost or decaying fungi; they have been found in bird nests and we have found them among decaying carrion in a Watford reed bed, the typical habitat is dung pasture where they are active from early spring to late autumn and occasionally through the winter; they overwinter in the soil below dry dung and become active very early in the year when they may be found in old and dry dung samples. By April they are common in a wide range of dung but cattle and horse seem to be preferred and they will appear in most situations e.g. they are common in horse dung on bridle paths in local woodlands, they fly readily and will soon appear in new habitats. Numbers peak in June and July when they may be observed on warm days alighting on dung or emerging and taking flight, they generally fly in the afternoon but mass dispersal occurs at night when they may appear in large numbers at light. Fresh dung will attract them within minutes and they remain until it has been consumed or dried out; lifting old and dry samples will often reveal the beetles embedded under the crust or among dry dung at the soil surface.