Shoulder-striped Clover (Heliothis maritima)
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: | Heliothis maritima |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | Graslin, 1855 |
| 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): EN; no long-term trend data available. Has suffered historical losses of distribution and probably now confined to a small number of locations in the New Forest. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Evidence suggests species is dependent upon very specific conditions associated with burnt heathland. |
| 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: | Untargeted management does not produce the exacting conditions required by the moth. |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 5. Remedial action identified |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Low - Life history factor/s |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Structured - insufficient |
| Species Comments: |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Work with Natural England and Forestry England to mitigate the impacts of a move from controlled burning to cutting in the New Forest.
Action targets: 7. Best approach adopted at appropriate scales
Action type: Other (specify in comments)
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: Not applicable
High priority sites: New Forest
Comments: The move from controlled burning to cutting may have an adverse effect upon this species (see Action 2).
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Investigate the effects of a switch from controlled burning to mowing and the effects of summer droughts, and whether these can be mitigated. Assess the overall extent of populations in the New Forest, away from the 3 sites that have been monitored in recent years.
Action targets: 4. Autecology and pressures understood
Action type: Scientific research
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 10 sites
High priority sites: New Forest
Comments: There is initial evidence that summer droughts have a severe impact on this species. Further research is needed to confirm this and to examine mitigation measures.
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.