Rugged Oil-beetle (Meloe rugosus)
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Invertebrate > insect - beetle (Coleoptera) > Darkling beetle or ally |
| Red List Status: | Least Concern (Not Relevant) [LC(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 rugosus |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | Marsham, 1802 |
| 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: | A scattered distribution in southern England and south-east Wales |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Confined to England, this species has a stronghold in the Norfolk Broads and at Wicken Fen in Cambridgeshire, with several outlying sites on the north Norfolk coast including Titchwell. Recent records are known from only 9 hectads, but there is no evidence of recent population decline and all known sites are designated and managed for nature conservation. On this basis the species is not considered a priority for recovery actions at the current time. |
| 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 calcareous grassland sites 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): | 4. Autecology and pressures understood |
| 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
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: Cotswolds
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? What plant species are favoured by the adults and how does this influence fecundity? Adult beetles are poor dispersers, but larvae are phoretic, clinging onto bees, so populations may be better connected than adult dispersal ability would suggest. Population genetics could answer this question.
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.