Agonum versutum
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Invertebrate > insect - beetle (Coleoptera) > Ground 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: | Agonum versutum |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | Sturm, 1824 |
| UKSI Recommended Qualifier: | (none specified) |
| Red List Citation: | Telfer, 2016 |
| Notes on taxonomy/listing: | (none) |
Criteria
| Question 1: | Does species need conservation or recovery in England? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Largely restricted to England with only a few records in west Scotland and formerly in Ireland. Rare and very localised with some evidence of decline in range in England. Associated with wetland habitats which are potentially vulnerable to climate change effects. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | A very localised and declining species which is likely to be vulnerable to habitat loss resulting from climate change. There are indications of an ongoing and rapid decline requiring urgent targeted management to mitigate effects of climate change on wetland habitats. |
| 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: | Extensive restoration of wetland habitats, particularly in the vicinity of this species' known locations, might be beneficial if it can persist long enough to take advantage of them. |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 7. Best approach adopted at appropriate scales |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Low - Climate change |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Opportunistic - insufficient |
| Species Comments: | This species is associated with litter on vegetated, marshy ground on lake shores and river banks. Structural diversity, water quality and hydrology are all likely to be important factors of habitat suitability. Increased flooding might result in loss of smaller, more isolated populations. |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Review historical and current management at existing locations and undertake literature reviews to characterise the range of micro-habitats within which it is found. The reviews should help identify the management requirements of optimal wetland habitats, particularly their hydrology and proximity to water, and identify the pressures from climate change (e.g. increased temperatures and drought) and how they might be mitigated by water control measures.
Action targets: 4. Autecology and pressures understood
Action type: Scientific research
Duration: 2 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 10 sites
High priority sites: There are few records since 2000. Relatively recent records are from Wheldrake Ings and Allerthorpe Common in North Yorkshire and the Warwick Slade area of the New Forest.
Comments: Actions 1 and 2 are related.
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Depending on the results of the autecological study and site management reviews undertake measures to maintain or improve existing habitat conditions at key locations, particularly relating to soil hydrology (controlling water levels to maintain wet/damp soils through the year), the availability of litter and proximity to good quality fresh water. Carry out additional work to increase habitat extent and quality where possible, primarily through introduction of suitable water drainage management and grazing.
Action targets: 7. Best approach adopted at appropriate scales
Action type: Habitat management
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 10 sites
High priority sites: Wheldrake Ings and Allerthorpe Common in North Yorkshire and the Warwick Slade area of the New Forest.
Comments:
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: Subject to the findings of the autecological review assess potential for re-introduction to historical locations using the most robust existing populations as a donor source following the introduction of suitable management. Consider ecological requirements of the species, suitability of site (e.g. subject to ongoing threats and/or climate change effects), timing of release and the need for ongoing habitat management. No information could be found on the feasibility of such re-introductions nor the techniques necessary for success.
Action targets: 6. Recovery solutions trialled
Action type: (Re-)introduction
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 5 sites
High priority sites: Reintroduction might be suitable at Allerthorpe Common if required (species last recorded 1992).
Comments:
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.