Yorkshire Status: Common and widespread resident.

Along with most other counties, we do not accept records of undissected Marbled Minor or Tawny Marbled Minor. It is not considered safe to separate them on the basis of forewing markings and they should be recorded as the aggregate species unless they have been dissected. The situation is made worse by the profusion of melanic forms. There are confirmed records of this species from all over the county and it is likely to be far more widespread and common than the distribution map suggests. The map just shows records of dissected moths. Marbled Minor is a little commoner across Yorkshire than Tawny Marbled Minor in a ratio of 3:2. If you want to have a go at dissecting these yourselves, have a look at page 356 of Waring and Townsend's field guide. It is a species of grassy places and is likely to be widespread across most parts of the county.

Sutton & Beaumont, 1989: This species is recorded as widespread and often common. However, melanics prevail in O. strigilis, O. versicolor (Borkhausen) and O. latruncula (Denis & Schifferrnuller) and they cannot be separated on wing markings alone. In Sheffield, when genitalia checks were made most specimens, originally put as this species, were found to be O. latruncula (Garland, 1979). However, in Derbyshire O. versicolor has been found to be as common as, or more common than, O. strigilis in some areas (Harrison & Sterling, 1986). Thus the status of this species in the County needs more careful examination before sweeping statements can be made, although there are already comments on relative abundances from several areas in the County. There are definite records from all five vice-counties.

	Determination by Genitalia Examination (gen. det.) Required

Recorded in 67 (34%) of 200 10k Squares. First Recorded in 1947. Last Recorded in 2024. Additional Stats

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