Betony Case-bearer (Coleophora wockeella)
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: | Coleophora wockeella |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | Zeller, 1849 |
| 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.) Only known from one site in recent years and no larvae found in last four years despite searches. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Bespoke management required to create extensive areas of Betony in suitable conditions. |
| 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): | 1. Taxonomy established |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Low - Relict or natural rarity |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Opportunistic - insufficient |
| Species Comments: | Larval searches each spring have shown declining numbers, with none now found for 4 years despite copious amounts of the foodplant still being present. |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Undertake detailed survey of last known site to determine whether the species persists.
Action targets: 2. Biological status assessment exists
Action type: Status survey/review
Duration: 2 years
Scale of Implementation: 1 site
High priority sites: Chiddingfold Forest
Comments:
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Remove invading bramble and bracken around last known breeding area and cut other competing vegetation.
Action targets: 6. Recovery solutions trialled
Action type: Habitat management
Duration: 2 years
Scale of Implementation: 1 site
High priority sites: Chiddingfold Forest
Comments:
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: This species has not been recorded since 2019 and could be extinct from previous known sites. Increase awareness of this species to the moth recording community to encourage surveys at sites with the foodplant.
Action targets: 2. Biological status assessment exists
Action type: Status survey/review
Duration: >10 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.