Large Hook-moss (Drepanocladus lycopodioides)

Key Details

Taxonomic Groups: Non-vascular plant (incl. chromists) > moss > Moss
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: Drepanocladus lycopodioides
UKSI Recommended Authority: (Brid.) Warnst.
UKSI Recommended Qualifier: (none specified)
Red List Citation: Callaghan, 2023
Notes on taxonomy/listing: (none)

Criteria

Question 1: Does species need conservation or recovery in England?
Response: Yes
Justification: At risk of extinction in England due to small population size, small number of locations and continuing decline
Question 2: Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions?
Response: Yes
Justification: A species with low recovery potential where the main aim is to maintain/protect populations
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: The species has a restricted distribution and so is unlikely to benefit from untargeted actions

Species Assessment

Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): 4. Autecology and pressures understood
Recovery potential/expectation: Unknown
National Monitoring Resource: Opportunistic - insufficient
Species Comments: GB RL criteria: B2ab(v). Temperate European species.

Key Actions

Key Action 1

Proposed Action: Develop and implement national monitoring plan to ensure comprehensive and up-to-date information is available on range size, population size, occupied sites and threatening factors in England

Action targets: 3. National Monitoring Plan agreed and implemented

Action type: Targeted monitoring

Duration: 1 year

Scale of Implementation: ≤ 10 sites

High priority sites:

Comments: A species with low recovery potential where the main aim is to maintain/protect populations

Key Action 2

Proposed Action: Undertake research to understand factors that have caused losses at extinct sites and that are limiting population size within extant sites

Action targets: 4. Autecology and pressures understood

Action type: Scientific research

Duration: 3-5 years

Scale of Implementation: ≤ 10 sites

High priority sites:

Comments: Pressures are poorly understood

Key Action 3

Proposed Action: In consultation with landowners, assess habitat management requirements at surviving locations and produce a costed plan for any new actions required

Action targets: 5. Remedial action identified

Action type: Advice & support

Duration: 1 year

Scale of Implementation: ≤ 10 sites

High priority sites:

Comments: Management on The Lizard is favourable. What new habitat management at other sites may be needed is largely unknown.

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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.