Omophlus pubescens
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: | Omophlus pubescens |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | (Linnaeus, 1767) |
| 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: | Oddly distributed in time and space that suggests periodic colonisation events with populations persisting for several generations. Location and habitat in the UK indicate a species on the very northern edge of its range surviving in the warmest microclimates at this latitude. On the continent, it has an inland and rather southerly distribution. Until there is evidence to the contrary, specifically DNA data, treat as a non-resident |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | The historic literature suggests this species may have been very locally established in south-west Britain during the late 19th century in which case it should be regarded as a British native. Not recorded since the 19th century and presumed extinct. On this basis the species is not a suitable candidate for recovery actions. |
| 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: | The habitat it depends on in the UK is regularly created along considerable stretches of the South Coast by natural processes, yet the species is still restricted to one small area. This area is a known hotspot for other continental species that have been blown north by strong winds. |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 1. Taxonomy established |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Unknown |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Opportunistic - insufficient |
| Species Comments: | Distribution and records suggest periodic colonisation that exist for several generations before becoming extinct. The requirements of the species in continental Europe should be investigated to assess how climate change could drive a population expansion here into habitats only currently used in the south, e.g. dry grasslands. |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: DNA sequencing to understand population genetics structure
Action targets: 2. Biological status assessment exists
Action type: Scientific research
Duration: 2 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 10 sites
High priority sites: Current south coast population and continental sites across the range
Comments: Use established markers (at least CO1 and perhaps a nuclear marker) to study the population genetic structure of this species from a broad swathe of its European range, but especially the UK site, a continental site just across the Channel and other, more distant sites. Limited population genetic structure between UK and nearest continental population will be evidence of recent colonisation events. Distinct haplotypes will be evidence of a long-standing and separated UK population.
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Define autecology of larvae and adults at known site
Action targets: 4. Autecology and pressures understood
Action type: Scientific research
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 5 sites
High priority sites: Chesil Bank, Dorset
Comments: What are the precise requirements of the adults and larvae in the single UK population? How does this compare to European populations and is a range expansion with climate change likely?
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.