Neon pictus

Key Details

Taxonomic Groups: Invertebrate > spider (Araneae) > Spider
Red List Status: Near Threatened (Not Relevant) [NT(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: Neon pictus
UKSI Recommended Authority: Kulczynski, 1891
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: NT, criteria: B2a: No change in occurrence since 2017 review, remaining confined to a few sites on the S coast of England
Question 2: Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions?
Response: Yes
Justification: Less frequent than its S coast shingle 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: No
Justification: This species would not benefit from untargeted management

Species Assessment

Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): 2. Biological status assessment exists
Recovery potential/expectation: Low - Relict or natural rarity
National Monitoring Resource: Opportunistic - insufficient
Species Comments: First recorded in GB, from sparsely vegetated shingle on S coast, in 1997. Apparently a thermophilic species and possible recent colonist and beneficiary of climate change.

Key Actions

Key Action 1

Proposed Action: Targeted survey of all recorded, nearby and apparently suitable 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: Not applicable

High priority sites: Shingle beaches on the S coast, from Dungeness to the Solent

Comments:

Key Action 2

Proposed Action: Autecological research to better characterise habitat requirements and inform management

Action targets: 4. Autecology and pressures understood

Action type: Scientific research

Duration: 3-5 years

Scale of Implementation: ≤ 5 sites

High priority sites: Dungeness, Rye Harbour

Comments: Use site/s where the species is most reliably found in numbers

Key Action 3

Proposed Action: Ensure site managers are aware of species past/recent presence and vulnerability on their sites. Update them with Action 1 and 2 results to provide any resulting guidance on locations/management and inform commissioning of invertebrate survey work (methods likely to detect/damage species, need for retention and examination of spider by-catch when not a survey target)

Action targets: 6. Recovery solutions trialled

Action type: Advice & support

Duration: Unknown

Scale of Implementation: ≤ 5 sites

High priority sites: Dungeness, Rye Harbour, Pevensey Bay, Browndown (Hants).

Comments: Assemble mailing list and update site managers at species-appropriate intervals; most easily delivered by BAS/SRS.

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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.