Another beetle bites the dust

Efforts are being made this week to prevent Britain's first species extinction in the new millennium – of a beetle that was discovered only two years ago.

The streaked bombardier beetle is officially the UK's rarest insect, known from only one colony, on a brownfield site on the Thames estuary in east London. However, the site is about to be redeveloped for housing, and the rubble-strewn habitat it has found congenial is to be obliterated.

In an attempt to save the beetle, the developers have created an alternative site on the edge of the housing area, and this week volunteers from the London Wildlife Trust have tried to relocate the insects. Otherwise, disappearance looms for Brachinus sclopeta, which only a month ago was added to the UK's list of priority endangered species.

"This isn't an extinction in a remote rainforest on the other side of the world," said Jamie Roberts of Buglife, the invertebrate conservation charity. "It's happening right here on our doorstep, and could have been avoided if the site had been protected. It's very sad that a deliberate choice has been made to plough on with this development, regardless of the consequences to wildlife."

Bombardier beetles are among the insect world's more remarkable creatures. They possess an effective defence mechanism, which comprises their ability to fire a boiling chemical spray from the tip of the abdomen. This is fatal to other insects and discouraging to larger potential enemies, including humans.