Hydraena palustris
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Invertebrate > insect - beetle (Coleoptera) > Water beetle |
| Red List Status: | Near Threatened (Not Relevant) [NT(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: | Hydraena palustris |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | Erichson, 1837 |
| 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: | Hydraena palustris is likely a sedentary relict-fen species. It is known mainly from protected sites and might be most effectively conserved via a grouped action plan for relict-fen water beetles. This species has been recorded from 13 hectads since 2000 (Foster et al 2020). While there is no clear evidence of recent decline in distribution, subfossil records show that it was much more widely distributed in the distant past. Moreover, the one or possibly two populations in East Yorks are very isolated and inherently vulnerable; loss of these would result in a severe contraction in the species' known range in England. Once lost from a site, Hydraena palustris is very unlikely to return naturally. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Although Hydraena palustris is likely to belong to a rich and well-known assemblage of rare water beetles in its East Anglian/Fenland sites, it is one of the few relict-fen indicators in its northern sites, so stakeholders are less likely to be aware of such species and their requirements. Due to its relict status, loss of any population would likely be irreversible and could affect its national conservation status. |
| 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: | Hydraena palustris is too localised and sedentary to benefit from untargeted management of habitat mosaics. |
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: Make an inventory of all protected sites with post-1980 records. 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: Records have been mapped in Atlas 3 (Foster et al, 2020)
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. Hydraena palustris belongs to a suite of water beetles closely associated with remnant fens; others include Agabus striolatus, Dryops anglicanus, D. auriculatus, D. griseus, Helochares obscurus, 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.
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.