Strandline Beetle (Eurynebria complanata)
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: | Eurynebria complanata |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | (Linnaeus, 1767) |
| 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 western species; all post-1980 records are from Wales, where it has declined considerably and is known from seven locations in the modern period. In England it has only ever been found at two sites: Braunton Burrows (Devon) and Berrow Dunes (Somerset) and was historically found easily and reliably at both of them. It was last recorded at Braunton in 2002 and at Berrow in 1994. It is an iconic ground beetle which has been subsequently searched for at both locations without success. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | This species is threatened by beach-cleaning activities and the removal or burning of driftwood. It is likely to be extinct in England. Reintroduction and targeted management to reinstate suitable habitat is required. |
| 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): | 4. Autecology and pressures understood |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Medium-high |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Structured - sufficient |
| Species Comments: | Beach-cleaning has been implicated in the loss of the population at Berrow and the removal or burning of driftwood poses a major threat to this species. Recent work on the status, distribution and autecology of the species in south Wales by Natural Resources Wales has revealed a requirement for actively accreting or stable (ideally accreting) broad sandy beaches which back onto sand dune systems, with a strandline containing abundant debris which is not frequently disturbed. The type of debris (wood/plastic) is no longer considered important and the species is probably more dependent on niches provided by beach items rather than item types. Beaches dominated by shingle ridges would appear to be unsuitable for the larval stages, but may be important for adults, especially during periods when beach debris is scarce. |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Strategic reintroductions to former site(s). Undertake a feasibility study to consider reintroduction of species at Braunton Burrows, which is much more suitable than Berrow in the light of the recent autecological work done by Natural Resources Wales.
Action targets: 6. Recovery solutions trialled
Action type: (Re-)introduction
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: 1 site
High priority sites: Braunton Burrows
Comments:
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Provision of suitable breeding habitat in the form of supplementary refuges.
Action targets: 6. Recovery solutions trialled
Action type: Habitat creation
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: 1 site
High priority sites: Braunton Burrows
Comments:
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: Secure appropriate management via a public awareness campaign to reduce damaging beach cleaning practices and excessive removal of driftwood.
Action targets: 6. Recovery solutions trialled
Action type: Education/awareness raising
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: 1 site
High priority sites: Braunton Burrows
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.