Essex Emerald
EN

Essex Emerald

Thetidia smaragdaria

Unknown

Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC) via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essex_emerald

Overview

The Essex emerald is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1787 as Phalaena smaragdaria. It is distributed throughout the Palearctic region with records from many European countries. The British subspecies Thetidia smaragdaria maritima was last seen in 1991 in Kent and is now presumed extinct. In 2004 the moth was first recorded from Sweden.

The Essex Emerald is critically threatened by habitat loss due to coastal development and sea level rise affecting its specialized saltmarsh habitat. The species has an extremely restricted range limited to a few sites in Essex, England, making it highly vulnerable to local extinctions from habitat degradation and climate change impacts.

Threat summary

Habitat

TERRESTRIAL· major

Other threatened species in Geometridae

Acasis appensataVU

Acasis appensata

Unknown
Malacodea regelariaVU

Malacodea regelaria

Unknown
Manchester Treble-barEN

Manchester Treble-bar

Carsia sororiata

Unknown
july belleVU

july belle

Scotopteryx luridata

Unknown

Threatened in Åland Islands

Scarce BlackneckCR

Scarce Blackneck

Lygephila craccae

Unknown
EN

Dolichopus notatus

Unknown
Haplodrassus cognatusCR

Haplodrassus cognatus

Unknown
Yellow-breasted BuntingCR

Yellow-breasted Bunting

Emberiza aureola

Declining

Frequently asked questions

Why is Essex Emerald classified as Endangered?
Essex Emerald is classified as Endangered — facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild — because population numbers are declining steeply and key habitats are under sustained pressure. The Essex Emerald is critically threatened by habitat loss due to coastal development and sea level rise affecting its specialized saltmarsh habitat. The species has an extremely restricted range limited to a few sites in Essex, England, making it highly vulnerable to local extinctions from habitat degradation and climate change impacts.
Where does Essex Emerald live?
Essex Emerald occurs in Åland Islands, Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, and Azerbaijan (plus 43 other countries). Country-level distribution data is sourced from the IUCN Red List and cross-referenced with GBIF occurrences.
What are the main threats to Essex Emerald?
The main threats to Essex Emerald are ai-1, ai-2, ai-3, and ai-4. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

Get weekly conservation intelligence

One short digest a week of the most striking species and country data we ship, plus breaking conservation news paired with our database where it matters.

Free, no spam. One-click unsubscribe in every email.