Limnebius aluta
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: | Limnebius aluta |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | Bedel, 1881 |
| 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: | Subfossil records show that Limnebius aluta was once widely distributed than today. It is associated with remnant fens but may be less strictly confined to such sites than some other rare water beetles as it is capable of at least short flights. On balance, the large populations present on sites in the Brecks and Broads mean this species is not under any immediate threat but L. aluta appears to have been lost from around one-third of its known English locations (Foster et al, 2020). It has colonised one site close to Wicken, suggesting it may benefit from wetland creation outside of protected sites. However, loss of small, very isolated outlying populations would result in a marked contraction in its English range. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | A rare habitat specialist, L. aluta is most significant in its outlying sites at Strensall Common (City of York) and Catcott Heath (Somerset), which are very distant from the Fenland/Brecks/Broadland populations. Loss of these outliers would result in a marked contraction in range. Targeted monitoring is required. |
| 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: | Rare habitat specialist |
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). Additional action proposed: Ensure that this species and its requirements are considered in SSSI and nature reserve management plans & prescriptions, agreements, water level management plans etc. |
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. Limnebius aluta 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 and Laccornis oblongus.
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: Resurvey Strensall Common and Catcott Heath to establish the current status and distribution of Limnebius aluta at these sites.
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: Strensall Common SSSI, Catcott Heath
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.