Dyschirius angustatus
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: | Dyschirius angustatus |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | (Ahrens, 1830) |
| 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: | A very local species found in southern England, Cumbria and east-central Scotland, with the majority of records from England. Although there is no evidence of a decline in England its requirement for early-successional habitat could mean it is vulnerable to extreme fluctuations in number of localities. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | A very localised species potentially vulnerable to extreme fluctuations in the number of localities, thus requiring an updated status review. There is evidence from Dungeness that this species has very strict habitat requirements so it seems unlikely that broader untargeted habitat management will be beneficial. |
| 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: | This species would not benefit from untargeted management |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 2. Biological status assessment exists |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Low - Climate change |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Opportunistic - insufficient |
| Species Comments: | Found on damp fine sand and gravel at the coast and by rivers. |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: In recognition of its very local distribution and requirement for early-successional habitats it is important to update the status of this species using existing opportunistic survey/monitoring data.
Action targets: 2. Biological status assessment exists
Action type: Status survey/review
Duration: 1 year
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 10 sites
High priority sites: Main locations post-1980s include two sites near Kirkbride, Cumbria, Brandon in Norfolk and Pilsey Island (Chichester Harbour), Pevensey Bay, Rye Harbour and Dungeness on the southeast coast.
Comments: If significant declines are detected then undertake autecological research and follow up management.
Key Action 2
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, particularly the hydrology and openness of sandy substrates and proximity to standing water. The reviews should help identify the management requirements of optimal habitats, as well as the pressures from sand extraction, eutrophication and pollution.
Action targets: 4. Autecology and pressures understood
Action type: Scientific research
Duration: 2 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 10 sites
High priority sites: Main locations post-1980s include two sites near Kirkbride, Cumbria, Brandon in Norfolk and Pilsey Island (Chichester Harbour), Pevensey Bay, Rye Harbour and Dungeness on the southeast coast.
Comments:
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: Depending on the results of the autecological study and site management reviews restore suitable substrates and habitat conditions at current inland and coastal locations. This might require the establishment of new early successional habitats by clearing vegetation, exposing sediments by mechanical excavation and reducing sources of eutrophication.
Action targets: 7. Best approach adopted at appropriate scales
Action type: Habitat management
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 10 sites
High priority sites: Main locations post-1980s include two sites near Kirkbride, Cumbria, Brandon in Norfolk and Pilsey Island (Chichester Harbour), Pevensey Bay, Rye Harbour and Dungeness on the southeast coast.
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.