Belted Beauty (Lycia zonaria)
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: | Lycia zonaria subsp. britannica |
| UKSI Recommended Name: | Lycia zonaria |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) |
| UKSI Recommended Qualifier: | (none specified) |
| Red List Citation: | (not listed) |
| Notes on taxonomy/listing: | in s41 as Lycia zonaria subsp. britannica which is the sole subspecies in UK |
Criteria
| Question 1: | Does species need conservation or recovery in England? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | GB Red List (Fox et al. 2019): LC; No assessment has been made of the English sub-species which is now confined to a single site and has shown considerable population fluctuations in recent years. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | There are limited options to manage habitat at the sole remaining site but research needs to be carried out to determine the possibilities for translocation to additional sites in order to preserve the long term future of this species in England. |
| 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: | A habitat specialist in England that requires bespoke conditions and management. |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 3. National Monitoring Plan agreed and implemented |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Low - Combination or other (detail in comments) |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Structured - sufficient |
| Species Comments: | Recovery potential is limited by life history factors; females are flightless and therefore unable to reach alternative suitable habitat, and by being a relict / natural rarity. |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Undertake research into the autecology of Belted Beauty to establish reasons for severe population fluctuations at its remaining English site, partly by assess parameters of locations where larvae and adults are found across the whole of its site.
Action targets: 4. Autecology and pressures understood
Action type: Scientific research
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: 1 site
High priority sites: Potts Corner
Comments:
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Undertake translocation feasibility study to assess whether there are any sites in NW England to which translocations could take place.
Action targets: 5. Remedial action identified
Action type: Scientific research
Duration: 2 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 20 sites
High priority sites:
Comments: If suitable sites are identified, a further action (at considerably greater cost) would be required for establishing a captive colony to provide livestock for translocation(s) as the remaining colony is not strong enough to directly provide these.
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: Research into the autecology of the Scottish population is required to determine if the English populations can colonise, or be translocated to, sites away from the coast.
Action targets: 4. Autecology and pressures understood
Action type: Scientific research
Duration: 3-5 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.