Meloe mediterraneus
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Invertebrate > insect - beetle (Coleoptera) > Darkling beetle or ally |
| Red List Status: | Vulnerable (Not Relevant) [VU(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: | Meloe mediterraneus |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | Müller, J., 1925 |
| UKSI Recommended Qualifier: | (none specified) |
| Red List Citation: | Alexander et al., 2014 |
| Notes on taxonomy/listing: | (none) |
Criteria
| Question 1: | Does species need conservation or recovery in England? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Historically, records from Kent and Essex, but last recorded in 1906. Rediscovered in Devon in 2012 and since recorded in Sussex. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Only known from Britain on the basis of several records from the Sandwich Bay/Deal area in the late 19th century. The species is considered presumed extinct. Sandwich Bay and similar habitats on the coast of southern England are well-worked for heteroptera and the chances of an overlooked population would seem remote. On this basis the species is very likely to be extinct in Britain and is not a suitable candidate for 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: | Appropriate management of species rich grassland sites on substrates that can be used by the host solitary bees for nesting. Scrub removal and grazing are important elements of this management |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 2. Biological status assessment exists |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Medium-high |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Opportunistic - insufficient |
| Species Comments: | A fairly conspicuous species, but active in the winter and therefore probably overlooked. The detection of triungulins, although small, is an important part of assessing the distribution of Oil Beetles |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Targeted survey of sites with suitable habitat
Action targets: 3. National Monitoring Plan agreed and implemented
Action type: Status survey/review
Duration: 2 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 50 sites
High priority sites: Sites with suitable habitat and where the host bees are known to occur
Comments: Period of adult activity is rather fleeting and in the winter, making detection of this species difficult. Perhaps make use of AI algorithms to define areas of potential occupation. The detection of the triungulins is an important part of surveying for Oil Beetles.
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Define autecology of larvae and adults at known sites. Population genetics of known populations
Action targets: 4. Autecology and pressures understood
Action type: Scientific research
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 5 sites
High priority sites: Devon and Sussex
Comments: Important questions to try and answer with targeted research include: What host bees do the beetles prefer and how does host bee nest location impact beetle larvae survivorship? Have the widely separated populations diverged genetically?
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: Raise awareness among the public of this species as it's fairly large, distinctive and would be noticed by casual observers. Given the disjunct population, other populations are probably to be discovered.
Action targets: 3. National Monitoring Plan agreed and implemented
Action type: Education/awareness raising
Duration: 2 years
Scale of Implementation: National
High priority sites: N/A
Comments: Partner with relevant organisations to highlight this species in apps and explore other channels to target casual observers who are likely to see this species. This could build on work that has already been done.
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.