Trichodes alvearius
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Invertebrate > insect - beetle (Coleoptera) > Soldier beetle or ally |
| Red List Status: | Regionally Extinct (GB scale) (Not Relevant) [RE(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: | Trichodes alvearius |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | (Fabricius, 1792) |
| UKSI Recommended Qualifier: | (none specified) |
| Red List Citation: | Alexander, 2014 |
| Notes on taxonomy/listing: | (none) |
Criteria
| Question 1: | Does species need conservation or recovery in England? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Regionally Extinct. None of the records are well documented and it may not have been recorded since 1868. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Allen (1967) argues that this species is extinct native, on the edge of its European range and therefore vulnerable to climatic fluctuations. The last records were probably in the first half of the nineteenth century. Given that it has not been recorded even as a vagrant in over 150 years, it may be unlikely to naturally recolonise Britain from the continent. |
| 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): | 4. Autecology and pressures understood |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Low - Combination or other (detail in comments) |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Opportunistic - sufficient |
| Species Comments: | Larvae are parasites of aculeate Hymenoptera, including honey bees. There is insufficient published evidence to characterise the requirements of adult beetles in terms of habitat structure and floral resources. |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Complete desk study to determine whether a reintroduction is feasible under current Natural England codes and guidance for England
Action targets: 4. Autecology and pressures understood
Action type: Scientific research
Duration: 2 years
Scale of Implementation: Not applicable
High priority sites: Not applicable
Comments: This will probably need to be completed in tandem with Action 2
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Autecological research to better characterise habitat requirements and inform management
Action targets: 4. Autecology and pressures understood
Action type: Scientific research
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 5 sites
High priority sites: Unknown
Comments: As Trichodes alvearius is extinct in England, ecological studies would have to be based on fieldwork in Europe.
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: Reintroduction if this is judged to be feasible based on the results of Actions 1 and 2.
Action targets: 6. Recovery solutions trialled
Action type: (Re-)introduction
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: 1 site
High priority sites: Unknown
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.