Dolichopus plumitarsis
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Invertebrate > insect - true fly (Diptera) > Long-legged fly |
| Red List Status: | Endangered (Not Relevant) [EN(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 plumitarsis |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | Fallén, 1823 |
| 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: | Post 1988 only two sites are known for this species; Lakenheath Poors Fen SSSI and Pashford Poors Fen SSSI (VC26). Both sites were reported to be in unfavourable condition in 2013. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | The areas that the species frequented are tiny and potentially affected by agricultural enrichment and drainage. The current state of the sites would need to be assessed before specific actions could be implemented if D. plumitarsis is still present. |
| 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): | 1. Taxonomy established |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Low - Extinction debt |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Opportunistic - insufficient |
| Species Comments: | Probable that the species is associated with fen meadow and possibly running water. With such a limited population in tiny areas, surrounded by farmland the prospect of recovery is limited. |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Tailored surveys of habitat in known localities to determine the population and species distribution, thus identifying whether D. plumitarsis is present or 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: ≤ 5 sites
High priority sites: Lakenheath Poors Fen SSSI and Pashford Poors Fen SSSI (VC26).
Comments: Targeted surveying to establish whether populations remain within the priority sites
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Assessment of site quality to establish whether sites are in optimal condition or unfavourable
Action targets: 4. Autecology and pressures understood
Action type: Scientific research
Duration: 2 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 5 sites
High priority sites: Lakenheath Poors Fen SSSI and Pashford Poors Fen SSSI (VC26).
Comments:
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: Actions designed to improve or enhance site condition based on previous site assessment and action 1 & 2.
Action targets: 5. Remedial action identified
Action type: Special (in situ) measure
Duration: Unknown
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 5 sites
High priority sites: Lakenheath Poors Fen SSSI and Pashford Poors Fen SSSI (VC26).
Comments: Targeted actions would soley be dependent on the results of the previous survey/assessment. Projected actions could be maintenance of water table and introduction of cattle for grazing to maintain open vegetated areas
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.