Tim Sexton, the senior species and recording officer for the reserve and trust, said teams had worked through most of the night, also recording various bats and owls.
“It was nothing short of a wildlife recording marathon,” he said. “It was pretty tiring, with just a few hours sleep but definitely worthwhile.
“We’ve had the most number of moths recorded, as in species, in any one night of 212 species, and we’ve been trapping moths over 30 years, which is just absolutely outstanding.”
The entomologist said his favourite find was the dimpled marsh beetle – a terrestrial beetle that lives on the edges of ponds and marshes.
“What’s incredible is that scientists have discovered it can spend up to an hour and a half submerged underwater, actively hunting without needing to come up to the surface for air,” he said.
“In the 50 years, we’ve recorded about 900 species of beetle. They’re the most recorded group of taxer on the reserve, so I’m surprised that one had gone unnoticed for so long.
“It’s a nationally scarce species, so great to see it on the reserve.”