Greenweed Flat-body Moth (Agonopterix atomella)
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Invertebrate > insect - moth > Moth |
| Red List Status: | (Not Relevant) [(not listed)(nr)] |
| D5 Status: | |
| Section 41 Status: | (not listed) |
| Taxa Included Synonym: | (none) |
| UKSI Recommended Name: | Agonopterix atomella |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) |
| 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: | (No GB Red List for micro-moths.) Much declined species known from only around 14 sites in GB, 12 of which are in England. Threatened by loss of breeding habitat. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Habitat specialist species; populations are fragmented. Likely to respond well to targeted habitat management. |
| 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: | This species would not benefit from untargeted management |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 6. Recovery solutions trialled |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Medium-high |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Opportunistic - insufficient |
| Species Comments: |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: The moth responds well to autumn/winter cutting, which encourages growth of the foodplant Dyer's Greenweed in suitable condition. Management trials and follow-up larval monitoring required to determine whether this cutting is best carried out annually or less than annually.
Action targets: 6. Recovery solutions trialled
Action type: Scientific research
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 5 sites
High priority sites: RSPB Otmoor, RNAS Merryfield
Comments:
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: The foodplant Dyer's Greenweed is a declining plant of old grasslands. It is reported to be difficult to establish in new areas from seeds and plug plants. Trial establishment of seed and plug plants across a range of soil types / vegetation structures, with and without initial ground preparation (e.g. rotavation), in order to determine the requirements for successful plant establishment.
Action targets: 6. Recovery solutions trialled
Action type: Scientific research
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 5 sites
High priority sites:
Comments: Potential to benefit a suite of micro-moths dependent on Dyer's Greenweed.
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: Larval surveys at all known sites every 3-5 years; also survey additional sites that have good quantities of Dyer's Greenweed in order to determine current distribution.
Action targets: 2. Biological status assessment exists
Action type: Status survey/review
Duration: 3-5 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.