A rare crucifix beetle has been discovered on National Trust property

One of the UK's rarest beetles has been discovered at a site where it has not been spotted for more than 50 years.

The crucifix ground beetle was found at the National Trust's Wicken Fen site in Cambridgeshire for the first time since 1951.

The endangered orange and black insect was previously thought to be surviving in only three places in the UK, and has not been seen at one of those for 10 years.

Spotting the rare beetle was described by its finder, National Trust conservation advisor Stuart Warrington, as the equivalent to a birdwatcher seeing a bittern.

The small bristly beetle, whose markings look like a black cross on a red background, was considered a great prize by 19th century entomologists.

Charles Darwin found the species "near Cambridge" while an undergraduate at the university there in the 1820s.

While the beetle was found many times at Wicken Fen in the early 20th century, it became increasingly rare and has not been seen since 1951 despite regular, widespread searches by experts.

Mr Warrington said: "This beetle is the rarest I have ever seen and in the insect world it is perhaps the equivalent of a bittern for ornithologists."

Beetle expert Tony Drane said the species was one of a number in decline across the UK which survived at the National Trust site, showing the importance of the reserve and the need to make it larger.

The crucifix ground beetle is listed as an endangered species in the UK's Red Data Book for wildlife at risk, and is a priority for conservation under the Government's UK Biodiversity Action Plan.