Species Account

Select species and region:

Distribution

Summary Data

Season (Adult / Immature):

National Status: Local

Local Status: Scarce and local resident, mainly coastal.

Local Record: Grade 2 See here for explanation

Flight time: One generation, Jun-Jul.

Forewing: 16-19mm.

Foodplant: Common and Spiny Restharrow.

IMPORTANT - Please note that the maps and accounts are provisional, subject to change and further update. The whole dataset still needs to go through the final verification process and it is likely that a very small number of records will not satisfy the present requirements and there are other records that have not been formally submitted. The information is for guidance only.

Record breakdown:

	VC9	VC11	Region
Year first recorded	1905	1998	1905
Year last recorded	2011	2004	2011
Number of records	277	4	562
Number of individuals	609	4	1226
Unique positions	91	2	186
Unique locations	66	2	136
Adult records	239	4	486
Immature records	0	0	0

For the region, we have a total of 562 records from 136 sites. Earliest record on file is in 1905.

Photos

Species Account

For further information refer UK Moths.

Davey, P., 2009: A species found mainly in south-east Britain, more coastal elsewhere but largely absent from Scotland, the larva feeding on restharrow (Ononis spp.). In Dorset, the moth is at low density along the coastal belt. The records listed below refer to occasional singletons that turn up inland. These may either be wanderers from the coast or originate from colonies on what remains of unimproved grassland on chalky or clay soils inland where common restharrow (Ononis repens) is still found. The national norm is for a single brood in June and July, but the moth has occasionally been noted as early as the first week of May and as late as the last week of August in Dorset. This suggests a bivoltine cycle in favourable years, as happens on the Continent.

See background to species accounts. Index of Vernacular names - Search - Random Species