Dusky-lemon Sallow (Cirrhia gilvago)
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: | Xanthia gilvago |
| UKSI Recommended Name: | Cirrhia gilvago |
| 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: | GB Red List (Fox et al. 2019): NT. GB long term abundance decline of 97%; insufficient data for production of distribution trends. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Dependent on elms which have declined due to Dutch elm disease. Actions to increase disease-resistant elms in the landscape might be beneficial. |
| 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: | Unknown |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Combination - insufficient |
| Species Comments: | Insufficient distribution data to produce robust population trend. |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: The moth has likely declined due to the impacts of Dutch elm disease on its host plants. Investigate whether this species will use disease-resistant elms as an alternative foodplant to native elms, through targeted larval surveys in areas where disease-resistant elms have been established.
Action targets: 6. Recovery solutions trialled
Action type: Scientific research
Duration: 6-10 years
Scale of Implementation: National
High priority sites:
Comments:
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Research is needed into the autecology to enable effective conservation. Does it prefer elm trees at a particular state of maturity and growing in particular situations, for example hedgerow trees and those on woodland edges? Undertake field-based larval research to understand the moth's precise requirements
Action targets: 4. Autecology and pressures understood
Action type: Scientific research
Duration: 2 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.