Bledius filipes
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Invertebrate > insect - beetle (Coleoptera) > Rove beetle (macrostaph) |
| Red List Status: | Critically Endangered (Not Relevant) [CR(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: | Bledius filipes |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | Sharp, 1911 |
| UKSI Recommended Qualifier: | (none specified) |
| Red List Citation: | Boyce, 2022 |
| Notes on taxonomy/listing: | (none) |
Criteria
| Question 1: | Does species need conservation or recovery in England? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Since 1980 only recorded from around Sheringham in north Norfolk (East Norfolk, vc27), along a short stretch of coast of approximately 10km length west from Cromer. Since 2000, all records have been from the West Runton cliffs and it has not been re-found at its earlier sites between Cromer and Overstrand and to the west of Sheringham. It has only ever been known from this part of the north Norfolk coast, but older records are a little more widely dispersed, extending south-east as far as Mundesley. It is associated with soft-rock cliffs that are threatened by rising sea levels and increased storm intensity. The single known population is therefore increasingly vulnerable to extinction. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Currently only known from a single site and dependent on quite specific habitat conditions. Targeted survey and actions are necessary to conserve this species. |
| 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: | Currently restricted to a single site and dependent on uncommon habitat features that are very difficult to create through management. It seems unlikely that this species would colonise new habitats without assistance. |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 5. Remedial action identified |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Low - Combination or other (detail in comments) |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Opportunistic - insufficient |
| Species Comments: | Climate change will make soft rock coastal cliffs increasingly vulnerable as a habitat. The species also seems to be natural rarity and has only ever been known from a relatively limited area of coastline. Actions to increase area and resilience of suitable habitat may be at odds with other coastal management – e.g. sea defences to reduce erosion, although there may also be opportunities for these to work in the same direction. |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Targeted survey of soft-rock cliffs in East Anglia to search for additional populations of this species, elucidate autecology and more tightly characterise habitat requirements.
Action targets: 4. Autecology and pressures understood
Action type: Status survey/review
Duration: 1 year
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 10 sites
High priority sites: Weybourne Cliffs SSSI, West Runton Cliffs SSSI, East Runton Cliffs SSSI and Overstrand Cliffs SSSI
Comments:
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Provide species advice/support for coastal defence strategies to protect soft-rock cliffs from excessive erosion and disturbance.
Action targets: 7. Best approach adopted at appropriate scales
Action type: Advice & support
Duration: 6-10 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 10 sites
High priority sites: Weybourne Cliffs SSSI, West Runton Cliffs SSSI, East Runton Cliffs SSSI and Overstrand Cliffs SSSI
Comments: Reducing habitat loss resulting from sea level rise and increased storminess requires landscape scale strategic action such as beach recharge or modifications to hard coastal defences (working with EA and LPA). Shoreline Management Plans and other reviews will help identify locations where no action is necessary or, alternatively, where management measures are required to maintain suitable conditions for soft rock cliffs. Some erosion is required to maintain early successional conditions and bare substrate required by Bledius filipes so coastal defences that reduce erosion too much are likely to be detrimental.
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: Following successful mitigation and development/retention of suitable habitats, assess potential for successful re-introduction to historical locations. It is important to restore suitable habitat conditions to any re-introduction sites.
Action targets: 6. Recovery solutions trialled
Action type: (Re-)introduction
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 5 sites
High priority sites: Weybourne Cliffs SSSI, West Runton Cliffs SSSI, East Runton Cliffs SSSI and Overstrand Cliffs SSSI
Comments: Ensuring suitable habitat conditions and management are present prior to any reintroduction is critical.
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.