Yellow Pogonus (Pogonus luridipennis)
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Invertebrate > insect - beetle (Coleoptera) > Ground beetle |
| 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: | Pogonus luridipennis |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | (Germar, 1822) |
| 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: | Restricted to England where it is very local in the south from north Somerset to north Lincolnshire. The dynamic nature of the coastal habitat occupied by this species means that some of these localities are probably no longer suitable for the beetle and the true area of occupancy in any one year may be substantially smaller. There have been substantial losses in range over the past century and there is evidence for more recent losses on the Norfolk coast, hence the species is considered to be in continuing decline. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | A very localised and probably declining species dependent on structurally dynamic coastal habitats which are subject to rapid changes in condition. Given the specific requirements for dynamic coastal habitats it seems unlikely that broader habitat management measures will be suitable for this species and thus targeted management and site protection are likely to be necessary. |
| 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: | Under litter and stones on coastal marshes and under seaweed on tidal reaches. This species depends on the long-term dynamic coastal processes to regenerate new saline lagoon habitat but it is also vulnerable in the short-term to catastrophic coastal flooding and erosion. |
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, in particular the openness and extent of sand or shingle substrates in coastal habitats. The reviews should help identify the management requirements of optimal habitats, as well as the pressures which might result in further declines, especially the deterioration/loss of saline lagoons and beach habitats caused by sea level rise, coastal erosion and beach cleaning.
Action targets: 4. Autecology and pressures understood
Action type: Scientific research
Duration: 2 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 10 sites
High priority sites: Coastal areas in Norfolk and south Lincolnshire, particularly Gibraltar Point, Snettisham, Titchwell and Salthouse.
Comments: Related to action 2.
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Depending on the results of the autecological study and site management reviews, restore long-term dynamic coastal processes and thus suitable substrates and conditions at coastal locations. This could entail the excavation of new coastal lagoons and the beneficial use of sediments for beach recharge to increase the extent of beach habitats.
Action targets: 7. Best approach adopted at appropriate scales
Action type: Habitat management
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 10 sites
High priority sites: Coastal areas in Norfolk and south Lincolnshire, particularly Gibraltar Point, Snettisham, Titchwell and Salthouse.
Comments:
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: Increase the availability of shore-line vegetation litter reducing beach-cleaning activities where these are present.
Action targets: 7. Best approach adopted at appropriate scales
Action type: Habitat management
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 10 sites
High priority sites: Coastal areas in Norfolk and south Lincolnshire, particularly Gibraltar Point, Snettisham, Titchwell and Salthouse.
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.