Saprinus virescens
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: | Saprinus virescens |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | (Paykull, 1798) |
| 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: | Dramatic historical decline with some signs of a recovery; though still scarce. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Reliable records only exist for several widely scattered localities on the Isle of Wight between the late 19th century and 1914, when the last British record occurred at Sandown. It is probably a native species with a small historical range but must be regarded as probably extinct in Britain. Although targeted survey work has never been directed at this species, it is not likely to be 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: | Yes |
| Justification: | Management that increases the abundance of Common Knotgrass on arable margins and poached ground; wetland management that favours Water-cress, Brooklime etc. |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 2. Biological status assessment exists |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Unknown |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Opportunistic - insufficient |
| Species Comments: | The breeding ecology of Saprinus virescens is unknown; it is suspected to be a predator of generally widespread leaf beetle species so its scarcity is hard to explain. |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Field survey to establish if former sites still hold the beetle, aswell as other near-by sites where its prey species and their host plants occur to help understand if the suspected recovery from the pre 1950s crash is genuine or observer biased.
Action targets: 3. National Monitoring Plan agreed and implemented
Action type: Targeted monitoring
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 10 sites
High priority sites: Known sites should be sought from the Histeridae Recording Scheme and Local Environmental Records Centres
Comments: Raise awareness amongst the relevant recording communities (BSBI and coleopterists), If a recovery is evident, then action 2 may not be necessary. Action 3 is of benefit to many species so should be maintained.
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Conduct field research into its breeding ecology and dispersal capability to help understand the factors limiting its distribution.
Action targets: 4. Autecology and pressures understood
Action type: Scientific research
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 10 sites
High priority sites: Known sites should be sought from the Histeridae Recording Scheme and Local Environmental Records Centres
Comments:
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: Weedy arable margins with common knotgrass hosting Gastrophysa polygoni and wetlands where watercress hosting Phaedon spp. are key habitats for S. virescens. Promote management methods/techniques to support these habitats particularly near known populations.
Action targets: 5. Remedial action identified
Action type: Habitat management
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 10 sites
High priority sites: Known sites should be sought from the Histeridae Recording Scheme and Local Environmental Records Centres
Comments: This action to 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.