Ochthephilum jacquelini
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Invertebrate > insect - beetle (Coleoptera) > Rove beetle (macrostaph) |
| 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: | Ochthephilum jacquelinii |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | (Boieldieu, 1859) |
| 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: | A rare saltmarsh specialist with post-1979 records from only three areas: Poole Harbour, Dorset (vc9); Funton Creek, East Kent (vc15) and from the north Norfolk coast at Holme, Titchwell and Morston (East Norfolk, vc27 and West Norfolk, vc28). Always restricted to Southern England with additional older records from Chichester Harbour, West Sussex (vc13) and the Colne Point area, North Essex (vc19). It has a very limited global distribution making conservation of English populations globally important. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Rare. Only known from three sites post-1979. A habitat specialist with a limited global range. Specific actions to conserve this species will be 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: | Yes |
| Justification: | The main threat to this species is loss of salt marsh habitats to rising sea levels. Management and mitigation against sea level rise such as staged retreats and realignment of sea defences will benefit this species. |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 4. Autecology and pressures understood |
| 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 three sites in the UK. Climate change presents a threat to this species through rising sea levels and increased frequency and intensity of storm events damaging beach habitats. |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Targeted survey of known and historic sites as well as similar nearby locations to assess the current status of the species in these locations and search for additional populations.
Action targets: 4. Autecology and pressures understood
Action type: Status survey/review
Duration: 2 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 20 sites
High priority sites: Poole Harbour, Dorset (vc9); Funton Creek, East Kent (vc15) and from the north Norfolk coast at Holme, Titchwell and Morston (East Norfolk, vc27 and West Norfolk, vc28)
Comments:
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: In the context of coastal management to mitigate impacts of sea level rise and increased storminess require landscape scale strategic action such as realignment/modification of hard of 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.
Action targets: 6. Recovery solutions trialled
Action type: Habitat management
Duration: 6-10 years
Scale of Implementation: National
High priority sites: Poole Harbour, Dorset (vc9); Funton Creek, East Kent (vc15) and from the north Norfolk coast at Holme, Titchwell and Morston (East Norfolk, vc27 and West Norfolk, vc28)
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.