Spinach (Eulithis mellinata)
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: | Eulithis mellinata |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | (Fabricius, 1787) |
| 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): VU. GB long term abundance decline of 97% & distribution decline of 69%. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Research needed into the causes of decline for a suite of currant-feeding moths, and recovery actions identified. |
| 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: | Larval foodplants unlikely to benefit from these actions. |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 4. Autecology and pressures understood |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Medium-high |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Combination - sufficient |
| Species Comments: | Remains widespread and considered likely to recover if driver(s) of decline can be identified and reversed. |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Undertake research into drivers of decline of this and other currant-dependent species. Requires investigation of several potential causes, including pesticide use in gardens/allotments, reduction in currant growing and possibly climate change.
Action targets: 4. Autecology and pressures understood
Action type: Scientific research
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 10 sites
High priority sites:
Comments: If drivers of decline can be determined, further actions will be required to bring about recovery.
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.