Apple Lace-bug (Physatocheila smreczynskii)
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Invertebrate > insect - true bug (Hemiptera) > Bug |
| Red List Status: | (Not Relevant) [(not listed)(nr)] |
| D5 Status: | |
| Section 41 Status: | (not listed) |
| Taxa Included Synonym: | (none) |
| UKSI Recommended Name: | Physatocheila smreczynskii |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | China, 1952 |
| 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: | Confined to England, this species is known from just 7 locations in the modern period, 5 of which are in Devon and Cornwall, one in the New Forest and one in West Sussex. Historically it was much more widespread in southern England and has declined, particularly in the south east. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | An epiphytic species found on old lichen-covered apple trees, usually in orchards or trees from remnant orchards. Populations are often confined to single trees or small groups of trees and are highly vulnerable to localised impacts. At some sites in Devon and Cornwall, apparently suitable trees in the vicinity of known populations are not occupied, suggesting that the species is of very restricted occurrence, relatively immobile and slow to colonise nearby habitats. |
| 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: | This species would not benefit from untargeted management |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 4. Autecology and pressures understood |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Low - Life history factor/s |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Opportunistic - insufficient |
| Species Comments: | Hard to sample on taller orchard trees |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Resurvey and monitor all known modern locations for the species, including additional sites with suitable habitat in Devon and Cornwall. Liaise with the Terrestrial Heteroptera Recording Scheme and with Keith Alexander, the Heteroptera Recorder for Devon and Cornwall, to inform choice of suitable locations and guide the programme of survey and monitoring work.
Action targets: 3. National Monitoring Plan agreed and implemented
Action type: Targeted monitoring
Duration: 6-10 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 10 sites
High priority sites: Colhook Common (W Susssex), Denny Wood (S Hampshire), Ashclyst Forest, Slew Orchard, Compton (South Devon), St Dominick, Godolphin (E Cornwall)
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.