Species Account for Macrosteles quadripunctulatus

Essex Red Data List comment
National trend: None known

Species text
This greenish leafhopper with black markings is Very local. British records come from sand dunes, dry coastal grassland, inland acid grassland, chalk downland, and disturbed ground supporting ruderal vegetation. These habitats have in common that they support short, open, and often quite sparse vegetation on very well-drained substrates. The association with dry and well-drained habitats applies also to most records from mainland Europe. Rabbit grazing produces a close mosaic of short and long vegetation and should be maintained or encouraged wherever possible. The insect is known to be able to colonise ruderal sites, so a rotational regime of management, by either grazing or cutting, may be acceptable. On waste ground and similar sites as wide as possible a range of successional stages should be maintained. Periodic scrub clearance may help, but the best long-term answer is probably periodic mechanical disturbance of the substrate over part of the site to ensure that early successional stages are always represented (Kirby, 1991). References

Habitats

Recorded management for locations with Macrosteles quadripunctulatus

Recorded substrate and hydrology for locations with Macrosteles quadripunctulatus

Why not join the Club, register and add a new species page
Interpretation of distribution maps