LONDON: An insect species found for the first time in the British Isles could have been living in the Cairngorms undetected since the last Ice Age.
Staff at Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) discovered the fly, Okeniella caudata, in Glen Clova on the Angus side of the mountain range.
Before now, the insect was thought to live only in the high arctic and Scandinavian tundra.
SNH believes they may exist at other remote Scottish mountain locations.
Iain MacGowan, one of the SNH staff to discover the insect, said: “It was quite a surprise to find several specimens, both males and females, at an altitude of over 850m.
“These creatures and their ancestors have probably been living there since the last Ice Age, but have remained undiscovered partly due to the remote location of these areas and partly due to the short time which they live as adults.
“They aren’t of high risk of extinction right now, but if the climate warms these insects will be among the first to disappear.”
Peaty mud
The fly is a distant relative of the more common yellow dung flies.
