Zora silvestris
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: | Zora silvestris |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | Kulczynski, 1897 |
| 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): restricted to England, where it remains extremely rare, although new hectads since 2017 review may reduce threat status |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Highly fragmented distribution and absent from areas of 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: | Unknown |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Opportunistic - insufficient |
| Species Comments: | Usually found in the tops of, often mature, Calluna vulgaris on dry heathland but also in acidic grassland |
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: ≤ 10 sites
High priority sites: Clumber/Sherwood Forest complex, Notts.; Ambersham/Lavington and Iping Commons, W.Sussex: Surrey heaths
Comments: Identification caution needed because of similarity to Z. spinimana. The vicinity of a 1950s record from Iken Heath, Suffolk sandlings heath complex, should also be investigated.
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Autecological research with particular focus on microhabitat requirements and responses to differing frequencies of heathland fires.
Action targets: 4. Autecology and pressures understood
Action type: Scientific research
Duration: 2 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 5 sites
High priority sites:
Comments: Focus on sites where it is reliably found and contrast between Surrey/Nottinghamshire strongholds.
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: Advise heathland land managers and wider restoration project steering groups in relevant locations (esp. Surrey and Nottinghamshire) on known locations (input from Actions 1) and management requirements (informed/updated by Action 2) for this species.
Action targets: 5. Remedial action identified
Action type: Advice & support
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 10 sites
High priority sites:
Comments:
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.