The Government supported local conservation efforts to secure the species’ future earlier this year.
In September, wildlife trust chiefs announced plans to improve the species’ heathland homes in a three-year collaboration with invertebrate conservation charity Buglife, after securing more than £200,000 from the Government.
The shocking theft has now been reported to Devon and Cornwall police.
Pc Lucy Wyatt, from Devon and Cornwall Police, added: “Sites of Special Scientific Interest are legally protected, and it is a criminal offence for any person to intentionally or recklessly damage, destroy, or disturb the protected area.”
The force urges members of the public to report information about the theft through its website.
