Typhochrestus simoni
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Invertebrate > spider (Araneae) > Spider |
| 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: | Typhochrestus simoni |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | Lessert, 1907 |
| 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: | CR, criteria: B2ab(ii,iv): threat status likely to be reduced at next review, with 5 (/7) new hectads in England since 2000 (1 in Wales) |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Fragmented distribution. Much apparently suitable habitat unoccupied. |
| 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: | Provision of more continuity of short, open calcareous grassland sward in S England could benefit this species; some evidence that it can colonise restored sites not immediately adjacent to existing populations. |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 2. Biological status assessment exists |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Medium-high |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Opportunistic - insufficient |
| Species Comments: | Recent new sites likely to reflect increased recording effort. Some evidence of colonisation of restored short-sward grasslands suggests that recovery potential may be medium. Largely winter-active; may be under-recorded. Losses from grassland in Snowdonia appear to be linked to reduction in grazing pressure and taller swards. |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Targeted survey of all former sites and similar near-by calcareous grasslands, 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: ≤ 20 sites
High priority sites:
Comments:
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:
Comments: Focus on sites where species is found reliably
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: Manage scrub and graze where needed to maintain open grassland
Action targets: 7. Best approach adopted at appropriate scales
Action type: Habitat management
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 10 sites
High priority sites:
Comments: Action likely to be compatible with other objectives for sites and absorbed within management budget
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.