Haliplus furcatus
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Invertebrate > insect - beetle (Coleoptera) > Water beetle |
| 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: | Haliplus furcatus |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | Seidlitz, 1887 |
| 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: | It could be argued that H. furcatus is a natural rarity, since it's only ever been recorded from 4 hectads in England, and only two post-1980. It has been known at the Oxfordshire site (Fringford Pond) since 1992 and was still present there in 2009 (Foster et al 2016). This could either be a sedentary relict species or a sporadic, edge-of-range, naturally rare one. It is described as "generally rare and sporadic throughout its range" (Foster et al, 2016). On this basis it's genuinely difficult to decide what level of conservation priority H. furcatus should be afforded in England. Here, the precautionary assumption has been made that H. furcatus would respond to species-specific measures. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | A habitat specialist of clean, calcareous drains or ponds with stoneworts. Its habitat is inherently sensitive to eutrophication, drainage and changes in management. |
| 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: | Haliplus furcatus is too rare to benefit from generic measures. |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 3. National Monitoring Plan agreed and implemented |
| 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: Resurvey the two known post-1980 sites to ascertain presence/absence.
Action targets: 3. National Monitoring Plan agreed and implemented
Action type: Status survey/review
Duration: 1 year
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 5 sites
High priority sites: East Walton Common (W Norfolk), Fringford Pond (Oxon).
Comments: Relevant to 2 sites
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: If H. furcatus is rediscovered at previously known sites, consider the benefits of SSSI designation to protect the future of this species. Haliplus furcatus and its associated water beetle assemblage are already mentioned in the citation for East Walton & Adcock's Common SSSI.
Action targets: 4. Autecology and pressures understood
Action type: Site protection
Duration: 2 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 5 sites
High priority sites:
Comments: Include survey of Fringford Pond, Oxon
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.