White-spotted Pinion (Cosmia diffinis)
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: | Cosmia diffinis |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | (Linnaeus, 1767) |
| 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): LC and no trend data available, but there has been a major decline in recorded 10km squares across England since pre-1970, likely due to Dutch elm disease impacts on the moth's foodplants. Some signs of recent recovery, albeit limited. |
| 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: | On the basis of current knowledge there is no evidence that these factors would benefit this species. |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 4. Autecology and pressures understood |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Unknown |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Opportunistic - insufficient |
| Species Comments: |
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. The moth is stated to prefer sucker growth at the base of mature elms, but this has not been rigorously tested. 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: Known sites in East England
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.