With over 400,000 described species, Coleoptera represent one of the most diverse groups of organisms on Earth, necessitating a global, integrative approach to understanding their evolutionary history. This effort begins with standardized field collection, specimen imaging, and identification, followed by high-quality DNA extraction. By combining genomic, mitochondrial, and barcode data, we are building the most comprehensive Coleoptera phylogeny to date – spanning over 100,000 species, including many that remain undescribed. This large-scale phylogenetic framework enables us to move beyond species counts, revealing global patterns of biodiversity through time and space and providing essential insights into species loss and the broader consequences of global change.
Category Archives: Blog
Lesnes 500
During 2025 and 2026, the Biological Recording Company is collaborating with the London Borough of Bexley to deliver a series of Field Recorder Days at Lesnes Abbey Woods, a large woodland in south London famous for its ruined abbey. These Field Recorder Days have been commissioned as part of Lesnes 500, a large-scale project made possible with a generous grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. This webpage contains details about the upcoming Field Recorder Day events as well as sharing what we got up to at the events that have taken place so far.
Big Rock Pool Challenge: The Power of UK Marine Citizen Science
The Big Rock Pool Challenge is a nationwide citizen science initiative that invites people of all ages to explore their local coastlines and discover the remarkable wildlife hidden in rock pools. In this talk, Dr Ben Holt (CEO and co-founder of The Rock Pool Project) shares how the challenge blends hands-on marine exploration with digital tools to create a fun, accessible, and scientifically valuable experience for communities across the UK. From competitive BioBlitz battles to large-scale biodiversity recording, he reveals how the Challenge is transforming public engagement with the ocean and empowering thousands of volunteers to contribute meaningful data to marine conservation.
The Ealing Beaver Project
The Biological Recording Company is collaborating with the Ealing Wildlife Group, Citizen Zoo, the Friends of Horsenden Hill and Ealing Council to deliver a series of six Field Recorder Days at Paradise Fields in 2026. This webpage shares details for the upcoming events, including links to sign up.
An ‘Alien’ in Antarctica
A tiny flightless midge, Eretmoptera murphyi, accidentally introduced to Antarctica in the 1960s, has spread across Signy Island and now dominates the soil ecosystem. Its larvae feed on dead plant material, enriching the soil with nitrogen and changing conditions in ways that could help other species invade. Octavia’s research reveals these midge-altered soils also release more greenhouse gases, meaning this small insect could be quietly accelerating climate change in one of the planet’s most fragile environments.
Hammersmith and Fulham Biological Recording Project
The Biological Recording Company is working in collaboration with Hammersmith and Fulham Council to deliver a series of free-to-attend biological recording events in 2026: a Biological Recording 101 training course and six Field Recorder Days.
Understanding a Bee’s Buzz: Biology to Robotics
Ever wondered how and why bees buzz? Or what determines the different properties of a bee buzz? In this webinar, Charlie reveals the answer. Join us to understand bee buzzes through his work from the lab and field to understand how bees produce their buzzes and how this understanding is being used to inform the design of micro-robots for pollination.
Innovative Moth Monitoring: Farmer Citizen Science Using AI
Farmland, covering 67% of England, is crucial in supporting nature recovery, yet good biodiversity data in farmland is often lacking. In this talk, Abigail presents results from a pilot involving 21 farmers across southern England who engaged in moth monitoring on their farms during 2024. Farmers used robust, portable LED light traps to capture moths weekly, and used an innovative AI-based identification app to generate real-time data. She gathered feedback from participants to understand farmer motivations, how this could be supported with effective, personalised feedback, and how the data is influenced by the accuracy of AI-based moth identification.
Barnet Natural History Training
The Biological Recording Company and Barnet Council are offering Barnet residents and volunteers a range of free natural history training courses and events, both online and in-person.
Plastic Pollution and Reef Manta Rays: Sources and Exposure
Plastic pollution is ubiquitous and increasing in the marine environment, particularly in remote locations. The effects on marine life include entanglement, ingestion, and potential leaching of toxic plastic additives into tissues. A study investigated the exposure of reef manta rays to plastic pollution in a remote archipelago in the Indian Ocean, including abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear, and microplastics. Additionally, it examined the origins of plastic drink bottles on the beaches of the Chagos Archipelago to understand the origins of the debris, and make Extended Producer Responsibility recommendations in the Global Plastics Treaty currently being negotiated by the United Nations.
Biological Recording 