Sciapus heteropygus
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Invertebrate > insect - true fly (Diptera) > Long-legged fly |
| Red List Status: | Critically Endangered (Not Relevant) [CR(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: | Sciapus heteropygus |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | (Parent, 1926) |
| 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: | Only three records prior to 1990 (two from gardens and one from broad-leaved woodland) and two since; one from Portland in Dorset (2017) and one from Start Point in Devon (2016). The biology of the species is unknown with non-specific requirements beyond broadleaved woodland. That said the most recent records are coastal. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | No |
| Justification: | With very few records in the past and non-specific habitat information, targeted interventions would be difficult. The species is considered to be extremely rare as it is readily identified. |
| 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: | However, the lack of detail and dearth of records would make any assessment of this impossible beyond maintaining and expanding damp broad-leaved woodland in Southern England. The coastal habitats would be difficult if not impossible to manage. |
Species Assessment
Not relevant as no Key Actions defined.
Key Actions
No Key Actions Defined
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.