This report provides the results of a terrestrial invertebrate survey relating to Natural England’s proposals to extend the Mucking Flats and Marshes Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), to recognise the national importance of a series of habitats and the species they support. This report describes and assesses the terrestrial invertebrate species found on the survey area. The two survey areas J1 and J2 were located adjacent to a recycling facility in East Tilbury. The techniques used included sweep netting, aerial netting, beating tray, vacuum sampling, grubbing and direct searching.
It is noted that no investigation can ensure the complete characterisation and prediction of the natural environment and that natural and semi-natural habitats are subject to change, so the results of this report may become less reliable over time. The wet and mild spring may have affected the terrestrial invertebrate species and numbers present on site during the survey. Therefore, their ability to support the typical range and number of species may have been reduced.
Sixty-seven invertebrate species were recorded during the daytime terrestrial survey. Of these, four are protected and/or notable: the Cinnabar moth Tyria jacobaeae, a spider Argenna subnigra and a beetle Phalacrus championi in site J1 and a beetle Agrilus viridis in site J2.