Trichopterna cito
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: | Trichopterna cito |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | (O.P.-Cambridge, 1872) |
| 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: | VU, criteria: B2ab(ii,iv): threat status may be reduced at next review. with little evidence of recent decline. Remains restricted to the extreme SE coast of England |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Very restricted geographical range and rare even within apparently suitable 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: | Restricted to sparsely vegetated, sandy shingle and fixed sand dunes in very limited geographical range, although can be numerous where it occurs. Habitat and distribution suggest a thermophilic species, currently at edge of range. |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Targeted survey of all former sites and similar near-by habitat 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: Colne Point, Essex, and Rye Harbour, E. Sussex.
Comments: Include suitable habitat further N on the Essex and Suffolk coasts and further W on S coast. Combine action with that for Pellenes tripunctatus and Trichoncus hackmani
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Autecological research to establish microhabitat 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: Colne Point, Essex; Sandwich Bay and Dungeness, Kent; Rye Harbour, E Sussex
Comments:
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: Consider the potential to extend key SSSIs to cover the species' entire range (established by Action 1), protecting vulnerable SE coast dunes and shingle where the species occurs.
Action targets: 7. Best approach adopted at appropriate scales
Action type: Site protection
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 5 sites
High priority sites: Colne Point area, Essex; Kent/Sussex coast sites from Sandwich Bay to Rye Harbour
Comments: Species is known outside current SSSIs. More population fragments likely to emerge as a result of Action 1.
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.