Berosus fulvus
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Invertebrate > insect - beetle (Coleoptera) > Water beetle |
| 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: | Berosus fulvus |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | Kuwert, 1888 |
| UKSI Recommended Qualifier: | (none specified) |
| Red List Citation: | Foster, 2010 |
| Notes on taxonomy/listing: | (none) |
Criteria
| Question 1: | Does species need conservation or recovery in England? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Always a natural rarity albeit with occasional vagrancy/temporary colonisation of sites outside its core range in SE England. However, like other water beetles associated with brackish water, B. fulvus is vulnerable to anthropogenic pressures; Foster (2010) argued that, " Losses at a single site will impact on this species and contribute to its decline". Pre-1980 records only (excluding subfossils) from 16 hectads compared to 10 for 1980 onwards (Foster et al, 2018). |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Due to the common pressures operating, conservation of threatened coastal water beetles might be more effectively served by a grouped approach rather than single species action plans (see also Augyles maritimus, Heterocerus fusculus, Ochthebius exaratus, Paracymus aeneus). However, B. fulvus is sufficiently rare to warrant pro-active measures at all sites where it's known to occur. |
| 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 is too localised to benefit from generic measures. |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 4. Autecology and pressures understood |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Unknown |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Opportunistic - insufficient |
| Species Comments: | Ad hoc recording as part of GB water beetle recording scheme (Balfour-Browne Club/Aquatic Coleoptera Conservation Trust). |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Prepare an inventory of all protected sites known to support B. fulvus. Consider opportunities for listing this species as a site 'feature' (e.g. review of SSSI citations).
Action targets: 5. Remedial action identified
Action type: Site protection
Duration: 2 years
Scale of Implementation: National
High priority sites: Concentrated in south-east England. Records have been mapped in Atlas 2 (Foster et al, 2018).
Comments:
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Review the conservation requirements of this species as part of a threatened coastal water beetle group. This could include Augyles maritimus, Berosus fulvus, Heterocerus fusculus, Ochthebius exaratus and Paracymus aeneus. The review should aim to inform coastal management practice, and highlight ecological features which may be overlooked in protected areas. The review could be integrated with other TSRA taxa.
Action targets: 5. Remedial action identified
Action type: Scientific research
Duration: 1 year
Scale of Implementation: National
High priority sites:
Comments: Threatened coastal water beetles mainly depend on the hinterland of coastal saltmarshes, i.e. the transition between freshwater grazing marsh and inter-tidal habitats. Measures aimed at expanding or restoring the inter-tidal zone without re-creating transitions may not benefit such taxa and may even accelerate the loss of what are often small and fragmentary refugia.
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: Advise site managers on the presence and requirements of this species in consideration of SSSI, nature reserve management, and other land management, especially pond restoration and water level control.
Action targets: 5. Remedial action identified
Action type: Advice & support
Duration: 2 years
Scale of Implementation: National
High priority sites:
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.