Sandhill Pigmy (Stigmella zelleriella)
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: | Stigmella zelleriella |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | (Snellen, 1875) |
| 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, one of which is small and vulnerable to coastal flooding. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Habitat specialist that requires bespoke management to promote Salix repens on a sandy substrate. |
| 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: | Very restricted range and unsuitability of soils on most sites. |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 5. Remedial action identified |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Low - Relict or natural rarity |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Opportunistic - insufficient |
| Species Comments: | Available habitat is so widely scattered that the species could not reach alternative sites. |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Undertake research surveys of all available habitat in vicinity of the two known sites in order to ascertain the dispersal and colonisation abilities of the species and the degree of threat at each site.
Action targets: 2. Biological status assessment exists
Action type: Status survey/review
Duration: 2 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 5 sites
High priority sites: Dungeness. Sandwich Bay.
Comments:
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Undertake management to clear areas of Sallows and Sea Buckthorn where they are encroaching upon the Salix repens at occupied sites.
Action targets: 6. Recovery solutions trialled
Action type: Habitat management
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 5 sites
High priority sites: Dungeness, Sandwich Bay
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.