The climatic significance of coleopteran assemblages from the Eemian deposits in southern England

Assemblages of fossil coleoptera (beetles) have been obtained from eight si tes in southern England that dare from the early phase (Pinus - Quercetum m ixtum - Corylus pollen assemblage zone) of the Eemian (Ipswichian) intergla cial Stage. Altogether 294 different species have been identified from thes e sites. They represent a wide spectrum of habitat requirements; terrestria l, aquatic, carnivorous and phytophagous species and many more with subtle dependences of specialist biotopes. Almost all of them live today in centra l and southern Europe and some are restricted to regions well south of the British Isles. By using mutual climatic range methods, the thermal climate of the early ph ase of the Eemian Interglacial has been estimated quantitatively, showing t hat mean July temperatures were about 4 degrees C above those of southern E ngland today. Mean winter temperatures were not much different from chose n owadays. This phase was probably the thermal maximum of the Eemian Intergla cial. Precipitation levels are difficult to quantify but were adequate to m aintain flowing rivers in England throughout the year. These results are in agreement with the presence of other fossils, both plants and animals, in the same deposits.