[Lori]

Just to bring you folks up to date..

Mum rang out of the blue on her return from the Isle of Wight. My sister hadn't spoken to her about the beetle as she was in Venice on holiday. The conversation went something like this.

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(me) Mum do you by any chance remember me calling you down from Nans to look at a beetle when I was small?

(Mum) No, dear.

(me) Mum you came down and said it was a Devils Coach or Stagecoach beetle.

(Mum) I don't remember that.

(me) Mum you recognised it back then. Have a think about it during the next few days ok?

(Mum) I haven't seen any of those large beetles here in Redhill.

(me) You said you didn't remember it!

(Mum) I don't.

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So more exasperation and disappointment.

I checked out the female oil beetle and I see what you mean about the body being bloated and retangular. Unfortunately it is definitely isn't my beetle.

As a long shot.. I'm trying to find a good photo of bolbelasmus bocchus macho without much success.

I've rechecked Pterostichus but had to eliminate it.

I found a Suffolk site collecting information on their beetles and was struck with the description of the following..

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Popularly known as Churchyard or Cellar Beetles because of their preferred habitats, these are of characteristic appearance with the two wingcases fused together and the tips of these protruding bluntly as shown in the illustration. They are found in old barns, cellars, or in dark, damp parts of sheds, old houses, churches etc. They especially occur in places with brick floors covered in mats etc. as the omnivorous larvae feed on food debris in the cracks between these. The beetles crawl very slowly. Three species are recorded from Suffolk but only Blaps mucronata (18 -25 mm) is a true resident, gigas and lethifera being importations.
Dull black in colour.

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My beetle could have survived in just such a habitat. Each time I saw him he was near old buildings and outhouses, property derelict or in poor repair and others with only the cellars remaining after being bombed.

The fused wingcases, the slow crawl and the dull black all fit too. The only problem is they don't look like my beetle. However, blaps obvious does need further investigation as suggested.

The site is White Admiral 48 beetle recording, I found it on Google. Thanks for the guidance and suggestions even if I don't mention you individually, I am grateful.

Lori