Middle Devensian (Weichselian) coleopteran assemblages from Earith, Cambridgeshire (UK) and their bearing on the interpretation of 'Full glacial' floras and faunas

Macroscopic plant remains from middle Devensian organic lenses, exposed in a gravel pit near Earith in the valley of the River Great Ouse in Cambridge shire, were the object of an extensive study by Frances Bell in the late 19 60s, which has been much referred to in the subsequent literature. The flor as from each sampling site have been taken to be characteristic of Full-gla cial conditions in general. Coleopteran assemblages taken at the same time from exactly the same sampling sites show that at least two periods of mark edly different climatic regimes were involved. The first of these (? the ol der) was characterised by a cold and continental climate with mean July tem peratures at or below 10 degreesC and mean January/February temperatures ab out -23 degreesC. The second climatic regime was characterised by warm summ ers with mean July temperatures about 16 degreesC and mean January/February temperatures close to -5 degreesC. In spite of this temperate climate, pol len analysis shows that no trees grew in Britain at that time. This treeles s but temperate episode in the middle of the Devensian (Weichselian) is dis cussed in the context of coleopteran assemblages from other sites in southe rn England that probably date from the same period. Copyright (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.