Scarce Aspen Knot-horn (Sciota hostilis)
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: | Sciota hostilis |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | (Stephens, 1834) |
| 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: | (No GB Red List for micro-moths.) Known from just two sites in England where population size and threats are poorly known. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Habitat specialist that is extremely rare and difficult to record. Ecology poorly understood and therefore threats and beneficial management unknown. |
| 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. Too rare to benefit from this management. |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 1. Taxonomy established |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Low - Relict or natural rarity |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Opportunistic - insufficient |
| Species Comments: | Known from two sites but rarely encountered and in need of research to understand how best to survey and what its precise requirements are. |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Undertake research to determine reliable survey techniques.
Action targets: 2. Biological status assessment exists
Action type: Status survey/review
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 5 sites
High priority sites: Oversley Wood, Orlestone Forest.
Comments:
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Undertake research to establish precise requirements so that Aspen in occupied woods can be managed appropriately.
Action targets: 4. Autecology and pressures understood
Action type: Scientific research
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 5 sites
High priority sites: Oversley Wood, Orlestone Forest.
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.