Dolichopus migrans
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Invertebrate > insect - true fly (Diptera) > Long-legged fly |
| Red List Status: | Vulnerable (Not Relevant) [VU(nr)] |
| D5 Status: | Included in the baseline Red List Index for England (Wilkins, Wilson & Brown, 2022) |
| Section 41 Status: | (not listed) |
| Taxa Included Synonym: | (none) |
| UKSI Recommended Name: | Dolichopus migrans |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | Zetterstedt, 1843 |
| UKSI Recommended Qualifier: | (none specified) |
| Red List Citation: | Drake, 2018 |
| Notes on taxonomy/listing: | (none) |
Criteria
| Question 1: | Does species need conservation or recovery in England? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Records within the past ten years at the species known sites (mostly SSSI) |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | The habitat requirements are known as are specific sites that have been frequented over the past decades. This should allow for targeted approaches to protect and maintain the habitat |
| 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: | Yes |
| Justification: | Maintenance, protection and expansion of suitable habitat, this specifically being dry sandy grassland and heath. The fly is widespread in Europe, extending the habitat could allow for further expansion outside of the current more contained areas |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 4. Autecology and pressures understood |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Medium-high |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Opportunistic - insufficient |
| Species Comments: | Reported from West Norfolk, West Suffolk Cheshire and Yorkshire over the previous 10 years. Reliant on grazed sandy heath and grassland mainly by sheep and rabbits |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Tailored surveys of habitat in known or potential habitat localities to determine the populations and species distribution, thus identifying areas where D. migrans is present or potentially absent so that further targeted actions can be implemented.
Action targets: 3. National Monitoring Plan agreed and implemented
Action type: Targeted monitoring
Duration: 1 year
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 10 sites
High priority sites: W. Norfolk; Cranwich Heath TL772934, Thetford Warren TL8484. West Suffolk; Weststow Heath TL801715, Icklingham Triangle TL768734. SE Yorkshire Calley Heath, SE752497
Comments: Targeted surveying to establish whether populations remain both within sites and in adjacent areas of similar habitat. Older records exist from other sites from the 1980's so it may be worthwhile exploring these in addition.
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: On populated sites, management of bracken/scrub to prevent encroachment and habitat loss is crucial. This could be implemented manually or possibly more effectively through managed grazing.
Action targets: 5. Remedial action identified
Action type: Habitat management
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 20 sites
High priority sites: W. Norfolk; Cranwich Heath TL772934, Thetford Warren TL8484. West Suffolk; Weststow Heath TL801715, Icklingham Triangle TL768734. SE Yorkshire Calley Heath, SE752497
Comments: Decline of site quality/condition leading to further habitat fragmentation should be mitigated against to prevent populations becoming more isolated.
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: Advice and support for local landowners, farmers in surrounding areas where populations are confirmed or found to mitigate against fallout from agricultural improvement that may affect the condition of required grassland.
Action targets: 4. Autecology and pressures understood
Action type: Advice & support
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 20 sites
High priority sites: W. Norfolk; Cranwich Heath TL772934, Thetford Warren TL8484. West Suffolk; Weststow Heath TL801715, Icklingham Triangle TL768734. SE Yorkshire Calley Heath, SE752497
Comments: Most recent records are from SSSI sites
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.