Helochares obscurus
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: | Helochares obscurus |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | (Müller, O.F., 1776) |
| 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: | Helochares obscurus has a very restricted, relict distribution. There is, however, no strong evidence of decline in England: it has been found since 1980 in 13 of the 16 hectads from which it has been recorded. This response should be reviewed once new evidence is available. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Yes with the caveat that it shares similar ecological attributes with other relic-fen water beetles. At most sites it belongs to a rich assemblage of such beetles but at a few sites (e.g. The Sturts in Herefordshire), it is one of only a few notable species. |
| 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: | Helochares obscurus is too rare and probably too sedentary to benefit from generic measures. |
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: | Ad hoc recording as part of GB water beetle recording scheme (Balfour-Browne Club/Aquatic Coleoptera Conservation Trust). Its conservation requirements might be best addressed via a grouped Action Plan for relic-fen water beetles, also including Agabus striolatus, Dryops anglicanus, D. auriculatus, D. griseus, Hydrochus brevis, H. ignicollis, H. megaphallus, Hydroporus elongatulus, H. glabriusculus, H. scalesianus, Laccornis oblongus & Limnebius aluta (Agabus labiatus and A. undulatus may also be relevant species). This should aim for a definitive inventory and categorisation of such species, identify conservation management requirements and ensure that relevant species are considered in management plans for protected sites where they occur. |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Determine population status and trend in England through a programme of survey work covering both known and potential sites.
Action targets: 2. Biological status assessment exists
Action type: Status survey/review
Duration: 2 years
Scale of Implementation: National
High priority sites: Records have been mapped in Atlas 2 (Foster et al, 2018).
Comments: Relevant to all sites in inventory.
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Undertake a review of this species and other water beetles dependent on relict-fens in order to promote better understanding of their conservation requirements. Helochares obscurus belongs to a suite of water beetles closely associated with remnant fens; others include Agabus striolatus, Dryops anglicanus, D. auriculatus, D. griseus, Hydrochus brevis, H. ignicollis, H. megaphallus, Hydroporus elongatulus, H. glabriusculus, H. scalesianus, Laccornis oblongus and Limnebius aluta.
Action targets: 4. Autecology and pressures understood
Action type: Scientific research
Duration: 1 year
Scale of Implementation: National
High priority sites:
Comments:
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. Consider opportunities for listing this species as a site 'feature' (e.g. review of SSSI citations).
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.