Cafius cicatricosus
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: | Cafius cicatricosus |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | (Erichson, 1840) |
| 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: | Only known from a single UK site since 1980: Hook Spit in the Solent, South Hampshire (vc11). This species formerly occurred at Ryde, Isle of Wight (vc10), Portsmouth, South Hampshire (vc11) and the Worthing and Shoreham area of West Sussex (vc13). This species is globally threatened and is known from only a handful of sites on the Atlantic, Mediterranean and Black Sea coasts. Conservation of the British population is of high importance at a global level. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Only known from a single UK site since 1980: Hook Spit in the Solent, South Hampshire (vc11) and is globally threatened and is known from only a handful of sites on the Atlantic, Mediterranean and Black Sea coasts. Conservation of the British population of is of great importance. |
| 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: | Only known from a single UK site since 1980, globally very restricted. It is unlikely that this species would benefit from untargeted management. |
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: | This species seems to be a natural rarity, with very few sites known globally. The species currently seems to be limited to a small population at a single site in the UK so extinction-debt may be an issue. Climate change presents a threat to this species through rising sea levels and increased frequency and intensity of storm events damaging beach habitats. The currently known site, and historical locations, are still under heavy pressure from development and urban/industrial activity. There are likely to be policy conflicts with policies promoting development and economic growth. |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Targeted survey of Hook Spit and historical localities, as well as nearby habitat that is considered potentially suitable.
Action targets: 5. Remedial action identified
Action type: Status survey/review
Duration: 2 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 10 sites
High priority sites: Hook Spit in the Solent, South Hampshire (vc11), Ryde, Isle of Wight (vc10), Portsmouth, South Hampshire (vc11) and the Worthing and Shoreham area of West Sussex (vc13).
Comments:
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Raise awareness of the importance of strandline debris and discourage beach cleaning and disturbance - e.g. through information boards at Hook Spit or public engagement.
Action targets: 6. Recovery solutions trialled
Action type: Education/awareness raising
Duration: 1 year
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 5 sites
High priority sites: Hook Spit in the Solent, South Hampshire (vc11), Ryde, Isle of Wight (vc10), Portsmouth, South Hampshire (vc11) and the Worthing and Shoreham area of West Sussex (vc13).
Comments:
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: In the context of landscape-scale coastal management to mitigate impacts of sea level rise and increased storminess such as realignment/modification of hard of coastal defences, and Shoreline Management Plans and other reviews, identify locations where no action is necessary or, alternatively, where targeted management measures are required to maintain suitable conditions.
Action targets: 6. Recovery solutions trialled
Action type: Climate change adaptation
Duration: 6-10 years
Scale of Implementation: National
High priority sites: Hook Spit in the Solent, South Hampshire (vc11), Ryde, Isle of Wight (vc10), Portsmouth, South Hampshire (vc11) and the Worthing and Shoreham area of West Sussex (vc13).
Comments: Action may be covered by wider coastal management schemes. There may be conflicts of interest between mitigation to conserve coastal habitats and associated natural defences and pressure to protect existing farmland/property etc.
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.