Monitoring of the Black Bog Ant Formica picea on Rhossili Down SSSI in 2022

  • English
  • wel
  • All

The Black Bog Ant Formica picea is rare in the UK where it is associated with bogs and wet heath at a small number of sites in southern England including the heaths of Dorset and Surrey and the valley bogs in the New Forest, with a single site in Yorkshire. In Wales, it is restricted to Rhossili Down on Gower, Cors Goch Llanllwch in Carmarthenshire and Cors Llanerch in Pembrokeshire. It was first recorded on Rhossili Down in 1913 and subsequently refound in 1996. A survey in July 1997 found 49 active nests along four east to west-oriented transects across the bog and flushed wet heath habitats to the east of the central ridge, with a further 23 active nests elsewhere on the site. It was estimated that between 840 and 4970 active nests were present across the site, representing the largest population in the UK. The current survey in August 2022 repeated the 1997 work, with a count of active nests along the four transects.

Identification

Dynodydd
Identifier
NRW_DS125511
Laith Metadata
Metadata Language
English
Lineage

The technique used to record Black Bog Ant along the transects was a modified form of that employed in the 1997 survey. For each of the four transects, a strip approximately 10 metres wide centred on the appropriate grid line, was searched intensively following the method used on Cors Goch Llanllwch by Fowles & Hurford (1996). To facilitate recording, the transect was divided into ten-metre sample sections, each of which was assigned a unique sample number, starting at the western end of the transect. The main difference in methodology between the 1997 survey and the current monitoring was that in 1997, three surveyors walked in a line along each transect, whereas in 2022, over the same number of days, there was just the one surveyor. It would therefore be expected, given the cryptic nature of Black Bog Ant nests, that the earlier study would have produced more records than the latter.
Additional Information

Boyce, D.C. 2023. Monitoring of the black bog ant Formica picea on Rhossili Down SSSI in 2022. NRW Evidence Report No. 686. 21pp. Natural Resources Wales, Bangor.
Dyddiad cyfeirnod y set ddata (Cyhoeddiad)
Dataset Reference Date (Publication)
2023-04-01

Temporal Extent

Begin date
2022-08-01
End date
2022-08-31
 
Categori pwnc
Topic category
  • Biota
    Biota
Perchennog
Owner
  Natural Resources Wales (NRW) -
Maes-y-Ffynnon, Penrhosgarnedd, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2DW, Wales
http://naturalresources.wales/?lang=en
Cychwynnwr
Originator
  Natural Resources Wales (NRW) -
Maes-y-Ffynnon, Penrhosgarnedd, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2DW, Wales
http://naturalresources.wales/?lang=en
 

Extent

Extent

Hyd
Geographic Extent
ABERTAWE - SWANSEA
N
W
E
S
Map representing the geographic extent of the dataset


 
 

Distribution

Dosbarthiad
Distribution

Fformat - Math a Disgrifiad
Format Type and Description
  • Database ( Unknown )

    Specification

    Species records on Welsh Invertebrate Database

  • Documents ( Unknown )

    Specification

    Report as pdf format

 

Quality

Ansawdd Data
Data quality

Cwmpas Ansawdd
Quality Scope
Dataset
Dataset
Cydymffurfiad
Conformity
Commission Regulation (EU) No 1089/2010 of 23 November 2010 implementing Directive 2007/2/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards interoperability of spatial data sets and services
Explanation

This dataset has not been assessed for conformance to the referenced INSPIRE regulation.
Degree
false
Lineage

The technique used to record Black Bog Ant along the transects was a modified form of that employed in the 1997 survey. For each of the four transects, a strip approximately 10 metres wide centred on the appropriate grid line, was searched intensively following the method used on Cors Goch Llanllwch by Fowles & Hurford (1996). To facilitate recording, the transect was divided into ten-metre sample sections, each of which was assigned a unique sample number, starting at the western end of the transect. The main difference in methodology between the 1997 survey and the current monitoring was that in 1997, three surveyors walked in a line along each transect, whereas in 2022, over the same number of days, there was just the one surveyor. It would therefore be expected, given the cryptic nature of Black Bog Ant nests, that the earlier study would have produced more records than the latter.
 

Keywords

Allweddair
Keywords

GEMET - INSPIRE themes, version 1.0
Math
Type
Theme
Theme

Dyfyniad
Citation

Dyddiad (Cyhoeddiad)
Date (Publication)
2008-06-01
Code
geonetwork.thesaurus.external.theme.httpinspireeceuropaeutheme-theme

Allweddair
Keywords

NRW Thesaurus
  • Formica picea
  • black bog ant
  • Rhossili Down SSSI
Math
Type
Theme
Theme

Dyfyniad
Citation

Dyddiad (Cyhoeddiad)
Date (Publication)
2026-08-27
Code
geonetwork.thesaurus.local.theme.converted_nrw-keywords
 

Spatial Reference System

Code
NONE
 

Content

Gwybodaeth Cynnwys
Content Information

Proffil CNC
NRW Profile

Elfennau CNC
Custom Elements

NRW Related Title

Monitoring of the Black Bog Ant Formica picea on Rhossili Down SSSI in 2022
 

Constraints

Constraints

Limitations on Public Access and Use

Math o Gyfyngiad
Restriction type
Other restrictions
Other restrictions
 

Access Constraints Directive

Limitations
no limitations
 

Access Constraints Text

Other constraints

There are no access restrictions on this data. NRW may release, publish or disseminate it freely.
 
 
 

Metadata

Metadata

Dynodydd Ffeil
File Identifier
4f4c4942-4343-5764-6473-313235353131 XML
Laith Metadata
Metadata Language
English
Math o adnodd
Resource type
Dataset
Dataset
Dyddiad Metadata
Metadata Date
2026-10-07T14:02:56.982Z
Enw Safonol Metadata
Metadata Standard Name
NRW
Fersiwn Metadata
Metadata Standard Version

1.0

Pwynt Cyswllt
pointOfContact
  Natural Resources Wales (NRW) -
Maes-y-Ffynnon, Penrhosgarnedd, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2DW, Wales
http://naturalresources.wales/?lang=en
 
 

Publishing Body

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