Lagoon Sandworm (Armandia cirrhosa)
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Invertebrate > annelid > Worm |
| Red List Status: | (Not Relevant) [(not listed)(nr)] |
| D5 Status: | |
| Section 41 Status: | (not listed) |
| Taxa Included Synonym: | (none) |
| UKSI Recommended Name: | Armandia cirrhosa |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | Filippi, 1861 |
| UKSI Recommended Qualifier: | (none specified) |
| Red List Citation: | (not listed) |
| Notes on taxonomy/listing: | (none) |
Criteria
| Question 1: | Does species need conservation or recovery in England? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | The species has been recorded from only three UK sites which represent the most northerly records of the species in Europe, so is unlikely to be found elsewhere. Population trends are unknown, with the loss of one site and the discovery of two new sites since 1990. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Habitat degradation is considered likely to underpin the disappearance from one site. Although species translocations have been proposed for trial and test, habitat protection is more appropriate than species recovery approaches but more research, survey and monitoring are required to understand population 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: | Little is known of the population ecology of this species, increase in southern lagoonal habitats may support this species, but the general management referred to is not applicable to marine species. |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 2. Biological status assessment exists |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Low - Relict or natural rarity |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Opportunistic - insufficient |
| Species Comments: | The lagoon sandworm has only been recorded in a few lagoonal habitats in the south of the UK. Little is known about population, ecology, population trends and current status. |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Status review, involving resurvey of known sites.
Action targets: 2. Biological status assessment exists
Action type: Status survey/review
Duration: 2 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 10 sites
High priority sites: Three UK sites from which it was previously recorded ( Eight Acre Pond, Hampshire, Small Mouth Spit, Portland Harbour and East Fleet Sandbank, Fleet Lagoon and adjacent suitable sites.
Comments: Surveys may consider other lagoonal species and be carried out as part of site monitoring. Surveys require processing of infaunal sediment which requires time and expertise.
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Monitoring of existing habitat inside and peripheral to protected sites
Action targets: 3. National Monitoring Plan agreed and implemented
Action type: Targeted monitoring
Duration: 6-10 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 10 sites
High priority sites: Existing sites and any adjacent sites that are shown to be suitable to support populations.
Comments: Cost will vary according to number of samples required and taxonomic expertise
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.