Rugilus subtilis
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: | Rugilus subtilis |
| 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: | Rare and declining. There are only five recent British localities for R. subtilis: from three sites in the Torquay area, South Devon (vc3); Saddlescombe, West Sussex (vc13); Lewes, East Sussex (vc14) the Hambleden area, Buckinghamshire (vc26) and the Wimpole Estate, Cambridgeshire (vc29). All recent sites for R. subtilis are on or near to dry, unimproved to semi-improved grassland on chalk or limestone soils. One of its Devon locations has been partially destroyed by development and may now be unsuitable. the remaining Devon sites are also threatened by development and management changes and it may have been lost from all Devon sites. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | There are clearly identified threats to Devon populations that can be tackled with specific actions. |
| 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: | Associated with dry unimproved or semi-improved grassland on chalk and limestone (open but both tall and short-sward occupied). Bringing calcareous grassland sites into good condition through appropriate grazing regimes and scrub clearance in southern England may benefit this species. |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 2. Biological status assessment exists |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Unknown |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Opportunistic - insufficient |
| Species Comments: | Habitat requirements may be met through general untargeted management to maintain good grassland conditions but apparent rarity may limit the benefit to this species. |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Targeted survey of all post 1980 sites to assess habitat condition and aim to record the species. The Devon sites that are known to have been impacted are of the highest priority.
Action targets: 2. Biological status assessment exists
Action type: Status survey/review
Duration: 2 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 10 sites
High priority sites: Three sites in the Torquay area, South Devon (vc3); Saddlescombe, West Sussex (vc13); Lewes, East Sussex (vc14) the Hambleden area, Buckinghamshire (vc26) and the Wimpole Estate, Cambridgeshire (vc29)
Comments: Survey should aim to search for extant populations, assess habitat condition and collect relevant autecological data.
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Consider protecting the remaining Torquay sites of this species because of development pressure, and work with stakeholders to ensure that any development mitigation is appropriate, including long-term site management.
Action targets: 6. Recovery solutions trialled
Action type: Site protection
Duration: 6-10 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 5 sites
High priority sites: Torquay Area
Comments: Ongoing costs of any mitigation and management should be covered by developers. Potential conflict with local development plans/developer pressure.
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: Reinstate grazing on remaining Torquay sites to bring them back into good condition for R. subtilis.
Action targets: 6. Recovery solutions trialled
Action type: Habitat management
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 5 sites
High priority sites: Torquay area
Comments: Will be necessary to work alongside landowners to achieve.
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.