Dyschirius obscurus
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Invertebrate > insect - beetle (Coleoptera) > Ground beetle |
| Red List Status: | Endangered (Not Relevant) [EN(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 obscurus |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | (Gyllenhal, 1827) |
| 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: | This species is restricted to England and Northern Ireland (Lough Neath). In England it is extremely localised, currently occurring at no more than two localities, both on the southeast coast. It is undergoing a continuing decline at both locations. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Extremely localised and highly vulnerable to coastal climate change effects. A continuing declines seems likely so that urgent targeted management of gravel pit and coastal habitats and site protection are required to avoid extinction. |
| 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): | 7. Best approach adopted at appropriate scales |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Low - Climate change |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Opportunistic - insufficient |
| Species Comments: | Burrows in soft sediments along shorelines in gravel pits and lakes and by the coast. |
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, 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: ≤ 5 sites
High priority sites: Only known at two locations: Dungeness in Kent and Rye Harbour in Sussex.
Comments: Actions 1 and 2 are related.
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Depending on the results of the autecological study and site management reviews restore suitable substrates and habitat conditions of gravel pits at current coastal locations. This might require the establishment of new areas of sediment by mechanical excavation and deposition at gravel pit locations, vegetation control and measures to reduce sources of eutrophication.
Action targets: 7. Best approach adopted at appropriate scales
Action type: Habitat management
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 5 sites
High priority sites: Dungeness in Kent and Rye Harbour in Sussex.
Comments:
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: Following successful mitigation and development/retention of suitable habitats, assess potential for successful re-introduction to other locations, including unoccupied locations in the vicinity of Rye Harbour and Dungeness and historical locations e.g. Stodmarsh, Kent. 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 re-introducing this species 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: Dungeness, Rye Harbour and Stodmarsh.
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.