Spined Loach (Cobitis taenia)
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Vertebrate > bony fish (Actinopterygii) > Fish |
| Red List Status: | Least Concern (Not Relevant) [LC(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: | Cobitis taenia |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | Linnaeus, 1758 |
| UKSI Recommended Qualifier: | (none specified) |
| Red List Citation: | Nunn et al., 2023 |
| Notes on taxonomy/listing: | (none) |
Criteria
| Question 1: | Does species need conservation or recovery in England? |
| Response: | No |
| Justification: | At present not considered a high priority as Least concern and recently reviewed. However, the species is restricted to only five river catchments in England and is an Annex 2 species for 4 SACs where the species is a primary reason for selection. In these SACs the species is considered to be in an unfavourable or unfavourable recovering conditions. Due to lack of targeted surveys the current population size, distribution and recruitment success is unknown in many areas. In recent surveys, habitat pressures and threats were considered to be negatively impacting populations. Given the range of current catchment pressures, which are likely to increase with climate change, and new and emerging INNS, the pressures on extant populations are likely to increase. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Proposed water transfer schemes may constitute a direct risk to the genetic integrity of distinct populations. These risks must therefore be mitigated. This is in addition to the more generalised habitat restoration measures applicable to a range of freshwater habitats. |
| 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: | Generalised habitat restoration measures applicable to a range of freshwater habitats (water quality, quantity and physical habitat). Any increase in connectivity must be considered in tandem with genetic distinctiveness. |
Species Assessment
Not relevant as no Key Actions defined.
Key Actions
No Key Actions Defined
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.