Violet Oil-beetle (Meloe violaceus)
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 violaceus |
| 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: | One of the most widespread Oil Beetles, but has undergone a significant decline, disappearing from many sites |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | A very rare species in Britain known only from Poole Harbour in Dorset, where it was last found in 1964. Natural England carried out an intensive survey of the Poole Harbour area in 2018-19 specifically targeting S. setulosa and no specimens were found which could be unambiguously determined as this species, which is very similar to S. pilosella. Previous searches in 1995 and 2008 were also unsuccessful. On this basis no recovery actions are recommended for this species, which is probably extinct in Britain. |
| 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: | Appropriate management of sites to maintain optimal conditions for host-bee nesting and foraging. |
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 large, conspicuous beetle, but active in the early part of the season 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: 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: Sites with suitable habitat and where the host bees are known to occur
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 2
Proposed Action: Translocations of adult beetles to sites with suitable habitat and nesting bees species known to be used as hosts
Action targets: 6. Recovery solutions trialled
Action type: (Re-)introduction
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 5 sites
High priority sites:
Comments: Combine with survey of sites to define habitat characteristics and possible previously unknown populations
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. The detection of triungulins, although small, is an important part of assessing the distribution of Oil Beetles.
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.