Yorkshire Status: Very rare and very local resident.

This is another species which seems to be able to maintain a low profile and lurk undetected for years in old oak woodland. It was known to Porritt (see below) but had apparently disappeared from the county. In 2011 it reappeared in Cumbria after a long absence and also in the west of Northumberland in the South Tyne Valley near Alston. These populations are likely to be long-standing rather than the result of spread. This raised our suspicion that it might still exist somewhere in Yorkshire, and we included it in "moths to look out for" in our 2011 annual report, saying "it should be looked for in April and early May in long-established mature oak woodland". This proved to be a good prediction as in April 2024 it was found at Pretty Wood, south-east of Castle Howard. It is highly probable that it occurs in other woodland in the area.

Sutton & Beaumont, 1989: Not recorded since Porritt (1983-86, 1904) and only then from Sheffield (VC63), York and Scarborough (VC62). At the last site it would appear that there was a small colony between 1898 and 1900 (Hewett, 1901). This species still occasionally turns up in Lincolnshire (Duddington & Johnson, 1983) and is still resident in Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire (Bcc, 1988) so it is not far short of Yorkshire in range.

Recorded in 3 (2%) of 200 10k Squares. First Recorded in 1883. Last Recorded in 1883. Additional Stats

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