Hypocaccus metallicus
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Invertebrate > insect - beetle (Coleoptera) > Clown or False-clown beetle |
| Red List Status: | Near Threatened (Not Relevant) [NT(nr)] |
| D5 Status: | Included in the baseline Red List Index for England (Wilkins, Wilson & Brown, 2022) |
| Section 41 Status: | (not listed) |
| Taxa Included Synonym: | (none) |
| UKSI Recommended Name: | Hypocaccus metallicus |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | (Herbst, 1791) |
| UKSI Recommended Qualifier: | (none specified) |
| Red List Citation: | Lane, 2017 |
| Notes on taxonomy/listing: | (none) |
Criteria
| Question 1: | Does species need conservation or recovery in England? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Very restricted distribution in Britain, only recorded from three stretches of coast from Camber Sands in Sussex to Snettisham in Norfolk |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Only known from the coasts of Dorset, the Isle of Wight and East Sussex; all records are historic and span the period 1857 to 1933. The final British record was at Charmouth, Dorset. Restricted to damp seepages on coastal soft-rock cliffs; habitats which support a suite of rare invertebrates and are often well-worked by entomologists. Although as a highly nocturnal species it may be difficult to find, it must be regarded as probably extinct in Britain. On this basis it is not a suitable candidate for any recovery action |
| Question 3: | At a landscape scale, would the species benefit from untargeted habitat management to increase habitat mosaics, structural diversity, or particular successional stages? |
| Response: | No |
| Justification: | Hypocaccus metallicus relies on dung and carrion on sandy coastlines; so does not operate at a landscape scale |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 4. Autecology and pressures understood |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Low - Combination or other (detail in comments) |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Opportunistic - insufficient |
| Species Comments: | Hypocaccus metallicus has always been a rare species. It lives on the upper shore of sandy coasts so is vulnerable to extreme tidal events. It has been found at depth in sand late in the year suggesting it over winters in this position. Storm events could wash out entire populations. |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: As a predator of fly larvae in carrion, dung and decaying vegetable matter it would be beneficial to discourage beach cleaning of organic debris, carrion and refugia by raising awareness through community engagement
Action targets: 4. Autecology and pressures understood
Action type: Education/awareness raising
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 20 sites
High priority sites: North Norfolk coast, Sandwich Bay NNR Kent, Greatstone dunes Kent, Camber Sands Sussex
Comments: This to run concurrent with Action 2
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Investigate the life cycle of Hypocaccus metallicus. It is suspected that Hypocaccus metallicus feeds on diptera larvae, it is often found as adults in sand under these substrates. It would be beneficial to understand where the larvae of Hypocaccus metallicus develop and what conditions are required to reach adulthood.
Action targets: 4. Autecology and pressures understood
Action type: Scientific research
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 5 sites
High priority sites: North Norfolk coast, Sandwich Bay NNR Kent, Greatstone dunes Kent, Camber Sands Sussex
Comments: This action to run concurrently with Action 1.
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: Manage scrub encroachment on sand dunes and upper stretches of beach.
Action targets: 5. Remedial action identified
Action type: Habitat management
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 20 sites
High priority sites: North Norfolk coast, Sandwich Bay NNR Kent, Greatstone dunes Kent, Camber Sands Sussex
Comments: This measure will benefit a wide range of shoreline animals, and should run concurrently with Action 1
Acknowledgment:
Data used on this website are adapted from Threatened species recovery actions 2025 baseline (JP065): Technical report and spreadsheet user guide (Natural England, 2025). Available here.