January 2014: Having decreased by 15 per cent Britain’s soldier beetles and allied species are now sufficiently endangered to join a new 'red list' of species under greatest threat of extinction.The ‘Review of the Scarce and Threatened Beetles of Great Britain’ assesses the conservation status of soldier beetles and their allies, named after their often bright colours which reflect the bright red jackets once worn by soldiers. The review found that out of the 114 soldier beetle and allied species:
Five (four per cent) are considered extinct in Britain
Eight (seven per cent) are considered either ‘Critically Endangered’, ‘Endangered’ or ‘Vulnerable’, and are thus under some threat of becoming extinct in the near future. These include the Jewel Beetle (Aphanisticus emarginatus), whose larvae tunnel inside rushes, and has probably suffered from changes in agricultural practices, and Cosnard’s net-winged beetle (Erotides cosnardi) who, alongside six other beetles, require ancient oaks and beech trees in parklands and wood-pastures.
Five (four per cent) are near threatened, in that they do not meet all the criteria but are still of some concern.
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