List of endangered species of the British Isles
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This is a list of endangered and threatened animal and plant species in the British Isles. They are endangered or have reducing populations within the British Isles and may become extinct in the future. Some suffer because of loss of habitat, but many are in decline following the introduction of foreign species, which out-compete the native species or carry disease. For example the native Red Squirrel population suffered dramatically with the introduction of the American Grey Squirrel, which carries the squirrel pox virus, while Brown Trout cannot compete with the larger and more aggressive Rainbow Trout.
See also the list of extinct animals of the British Isles.
This list includes the 116 species identified as requiring action plans in the Biodiversity Steering Group's report of December 1995.
Mammals
- Bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus, warm and temperate seas worldwide,
- European Hare Lepus europaeus, northern, central, and western Europe and western Asia,
- Hazel Dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius, northern Europe and Asia Minor,
- European Otter Lutra lutra, Asia, Africa and Europe,
- Greater Horseshoe Bat Rhinolophus ferrumequinium, Europe, Africa, South Asia and Australia,
- Harbour Porpoise Phocoena phocoena, coastal waters in the Northern Hemisphere,
- Red Squirrel Sciurus vulgaris, Eurasia,
- Water Vole Arvicola terrestris, Great Britain, northern and central Europe and in parts of Russia.
Birds
Birds currently on the Red List include the following:
- Aquatic Warbler Acrocephalus paludicola (passage migrant through UK)
- Capercaillie Tatrao urogallus
- Corn Crake Crex crex - globally threatened
- Eurasian Wryneck Jynx torquilla
- Great Bittern Botarus stellaris
- Grey Partridge Perdix perdix
- Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio
- Skylark Alauda arvensis
- Song Thrush Turdus philomelos
Reptiles
- Slow-worm Anguis fragilis, Eurasia
- Sand lizard Lacerta agilis, most of Europe and eastwards to Mongolia
- Common or Viviparous lizard Zootoca vivipara, Europe and Asia
- Northern or European adder Vipera berus, Western Europe and Asia
- Grass snake Natrix natrix, England, Wales and mainland Europe
- Smooth snake Coronella austriaca, northern and central Europe, Middle East
Amphibians
- Great crested newt Triturus cristatus, Europe and parts of Asia
- Natterjack toad Bufo calamita, Northern Europe
Fish
- Allis shad Alosa alosa
- Pollan Coregonus autumnalis pollan
- Twaite shad Alosa fallax
- Vendace Coregonus vandesius
- Gwyniad Coregonus pennantii
Insects
Ants
- Black-backed meadow ant Formica pratensis (possibly extinct)
- Black bog ant Formica candida
- Narrow-headed ant Formica exsecta
Bees
- Shrill carder bee Bombus sylvarum
Beetles
- Beaulieu dung beetle Aphodius niger (a dung beetle)
- Blue ground beetle Carabus intricatus
- Bembidion argenteolum (a ground beetle)
- Crucifix ground beetle Panagaeus crux-major (a ground beetle)
- Hazel pot beetle Cryptocephalus coryli (a leaf beetle)
- Lizard weevil Cathormiocerus britannicus (probably endemic)
- Orbera oculata (a longhorn beetle)
- Pashford pot beetle Cryptocephalus exiguus (a leaf beetle, probably endemic and extinct)
- Stag beetle Lucanus cervus
- Stenus palposus (a rove beetle)
- Tachys edmonsi (a ground beetle, endemic)
- Violet click beetle Limoniscus violaceus
Butterflies and moths
- Bright wave Idaea ochrata
- Brown hairstreak Thecla betulae
- Chequered skipper Carterosephalus palaemon
- Dingy skipper Erynnis tages
- Duke of Burgundy Hamearis lucina
- Flounced chestnut Agonum scitulum
- Glanville fritillary Melitaea cinxia
- Grayling Hipparchia semele
- Greenweed flat-body moth Agonopterix atomella (a micro-moth)
- Grey dagger Acronicta psi
- Grizzled skipper Pyrgus malvae
- Heath fritillary Mellicta athalia
- High brown fritillary Argynnis adippe
- Knot grass Aconicta rumicis
- Large blue Maculinea arion (endemic subspecies extinct, re-established from Swedish stock)
- [Large copper Lycaena dispar — Although included in the 1995 Report, it does not appear in the latest list; endemic subspecies extinct, as are earlier re-establishments]
- Large heath Coenonympha tullia
- Lulworth skipper Thymelicus acteon
- Marsh fritillary Eurodryas aurinia
- Mountain ringlet Erebia epiphron
- Netted carpet moth Eustroma reticulata
- Northern brown argus Aricia artaxerxes
- Pearl-bordered fritillary Boloria euphrosyne
- Reddish buff Acosmetia caliginosa
- Silver-spotted skipper Hesperia comma
- Silver-studded blue Plebejus argus
- Small blue Cupido minimus
- Small heath Coenonympha pamphilus
- Small pearl-bordered fritillary Boloria selene
- Speckled footman Coscinia cribraria
- Wall Lasiommata megera
- White admiral Limenitis camilla
- White-letter hairstreak Satyrium w-album
- Wood white Leptidea sinapis
Crickets
- European mole cricket Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa
Damselflies
- Southern damselfly Coenagrion mercuriale
Flies
- Callicera spinolae (a hoverfly)
- Golden hoverfly Chrysotoxum octomaculatum
- Hornet robberfly Asilus crabroniformis, Southern England and South & West Wales
- Manx robber fly Machimus cowini (endemic)
Grasshoppers
- Large marsh grasshopper Stethophyma grossum
Molluscs
- Gastropods
Freshwater snails:
- Glutinous snail Myxas glutinosa
- Little whirlpool ram's-horn snail Anisus vorticulus
- Shining ram's-horn snail Segmentina nitida
Land snails:
- Narrow-mouthed whorl snail Vertigo angustior
- Round-mouthed whorl snail Vertigo genesii
- Geyer's whorl snail Vertigo geyeri
- Desmoulin's whorl snail Vertigo moulinsiana
- Sandbowl snail Catinella arenaria
- Bivalves
- Depressed river mussel Pseudanodonta complanata
- Freshwater pearl mussel Margaritifera margaritifera
- Fine-lined pea mussel Pisidium tenuilineatum
Other invertebrates
Freshwater:
- Medicinal leech Hirudo medicinalis
Marine:
- Ivell's sea anemone (endemic and probably extinct)
- Starlet sea anemone Nematostella vectensis
Plants
Flowering plants
- Creeping marshwort Apium repens
- Early gentian Gentianella anglica (endemic)
- Eyebrights Euphrasia sp. (endemic)
- Fen orchid Liparis loeselii
- Floating water-plantain Luronium natans
- Holly-leaved naiad Najas marina
- Isle of Man Cabbage Coincya monensis (endemic)
- Lady's slipper orchid Cypripedium calceolus
- Lundy cabbage Coincya wrightii (endemic)
- Mountain scurvy-grass Cochlearia micacea (probably endemic)
- Norwegian mugwort Artemisia norvegica
- Ribbon-leaved water plantain Alisma gramineum
- Shetland pondweed Potamogeton rutilus
- Shore dock Rumex rupestris
- Slender naiad Najas flexilis
- Star fruit Damasonium alisma
- Three-lobed crowfoot Ranunculus tripartitus
- Western ramping-fumitory Fumaria occidentalis (endemic)
- Wild cotoneaster Cotoneaster cambricus (probably endemic)
- Yellow marsh saxifrage Saxifraga hirculus
- Young's helleborine orchid Epipactis youngiana (endemic)
Ferns
- Killarney fern Trichomanes speciosum
- Newman's lady fern Athyrium flexile (probably endemic)
Fungi
- Devil's bolete Boletus satanus
- Sandy stilt puffball Battarraea phalloides
- Tulostoma niveum
Lichens
- Elm's gyalecta Gyalecta ulmi
- Orange-fruited elm-lichen Caloplaca luteoalba
- Pseudocyphellaria aurata
- Pseudocyphellaria novegica
- River jelly lichen Collema dishotomum
- Schismatomma graphidioides
- Starry breck-lichen Buellia asterella
- morchella
Mosses
- Cornish path-moss Ditrichum cornubicum (endemic)
- Derbyshire feather-moss Thamnobryum angustifolium (endemic)
- Glaucous beard-moss Didymodon glaucus
- Green shield moss Buxbaumia viridis
- Slender green feather-moss Hamatocaulis vernicosus
- Weissia multicapsularis
Liverworts
- Atlantic lejeunea Lejeunea mandonii
- Marsh earwort Jamesoniella undulifolia
- Norfolk flapwort Lophozia rutheana
- Petalwort Petalophyllum ralfsii
- Western Rustwort Marsupella profunda
