Scarce Pug (Eupithecia extensaria subsp. occidua)
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: | Eupithecia extensaria occidua |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | Prout, 1914 |
| UKSI Recommended Qualifier: | (none specified) |
| Red List Citation: | (not listed) |
| Notes on taxonomy/listing: | Only this subspecies occurs in UK |
Criteria
| Question 1: | Does species need conservation or recovery in England? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | GB Red List (Fox et al. 2019): EN. No long term population data. Restricted to a small number of sites on the Norfolk coast. Lost from Essex and may now have been lost from Lincolnshire. Threatened by several factors, particularly coastal erosion. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Needs research into ecology and habitat management. In the longer term probably needs translocation to areas that are less threatened by coastal erosion. |
| 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: | Larvae feed on Sea Wormwood which will not benefit from these factors. |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 1. Taxonomy established |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Medium-high |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Combination - insufficient |
| Species Comments: |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Undertake bespoke larval surveys of all potential habitat in Norfolk and Lincolnshire.
Action targets: 2. Biological status assessment exists
Action type: Status survey/review
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 50 sites
High priority sites:
Comments:
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Undertake detailed ecological research into the larval requirements of the species to better understand the current distribution and the potential for future translocation to the Thames.
Action targets: 4. Autecology and pressures understood
Action type: Scientific research
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: National
High priority sites:
Comments:
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: Investigate potential for translocation to the Thames Estuary to mitigate against habitat loss due to coastal erosion.
Action targets: 6. Recovery solutions trialled
Action type: Climate change adaptation
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 10 sites
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.