Welch's Money-spider (Erigone welchi)
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Invertebrate > spider (Araneae) > Spider |
| 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: | Erigone welchi |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | Jackson, 1911 |
| UKSI Recommended Qualifier: | (none specified) |
| Red List Citation: | Harvey et al., 2017 |
| Notes on taxonomy/listing: | (none) |
Criteria
| Question 1: | Does species need conservation or recovery in England? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | EN, criteria: B2ab(ii,iv): threat status likely to be reduced at next review because no longer evidence of overall decline but may well still be threatened. More recent records from Wales than England/Scotland. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Very rare even in relation to its specialist 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: | Genus generally disperses by ballooning. If this ability has been retained despite long isolation, may colonise newly created Sphagnum lawns. Likely dispersal distances are not known. |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 2. Biological status assessment exists |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Low - Combination or other (detail in comments) |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Opportunistic - insufficient |
| Species Comments: | In open Sphagnum lawns in permanent deep water within peat mires, usually at 200-500 m. Recovery potential in England likely to be low because of restricted and hydrologically challenged habitat. Apparently faring better in W Wales with possibility of climate related W range shift. |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Targeted re-survey of recent and nearby sites, using standardised methodology to assess current status (and establish baseline for national monitoring programme)
Action targets: 2. Biological status assessment exists
Action type: Status survey/review
Duration: 2 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 5 sites
High priority sites: New Forest (Denny Bog), Hants; Kinder Scout (Mermaid's Pool), Derbys.; Widdybank Moss, Upper Teesdale; Graystone Hills, Northumberland
Comments: Significant H&S issues with survey for this species - best practise for very wet sites to be strictly observed.
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Autecological research to better characterise habitat requirements, and inform site management
Action targets: 4. Autecology and pressures understood
Action type: Scientific research
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 5 sites
High priority sites:
Comments: Include the NW Wales sites where the spider is relatively abundant, possibly comparing with Greystone Hills, Northumbria, if sufficient can be found there. Findings of Actions 1 and 2 should help to elucidate possible range shift.
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: Provide targeted advice to project/land managers of peatland management/restoration/re-creation restoration projects (including palludiculture) in relevant areas, on the species location/s and habitat/management requirements (informed by actions 1 and 2) to avoid damage to current resource and maximise new colonisation opportunities.
Action targets: 5. Remedial action identified
Action type: Advice & support
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 5 sites
High priority sites: New Forest (Denny Bog), Hants; Kinder Scout (Mermaid's Pool), Derbys.; Widdybank Moss, Upper Teesdale; Graystone Hills, Northumberland
Comments: A liaison action for BAS, NE and site managers.
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.