A rare beetle has been rediscovered in Wales after nearly 60 years, conservationists have said.

The short-necked oil beetle, driven to the brink of extinction in Britain due to habitat loss over the course of the 20th century, has been found at the Castlemartin range in Pembrokeshire, according to Natural Resources Wales (NRW).

The species’ name comes from the adult beetles’ stubby shape and ability to secrete an oily yellow-orange substance from their knee joints when alarmed.

The unusual creature relies on solitary bees and thick vegetation and flower coverage to survive. Its larvae have hook-like feet to snag on to bees, and once in their nest, they feed on pollen until ready to emerge as adults, with a lifespan of about a year.

Only a handful of sites in the UK are suitable for the beetle, according to NRW, and only about one in 10,000 larvae make it to adulthood.…