Yorkshire Status: Rare and very local resident.

This is an extremely rare moth in Britain with only two populations - our moths, extending into north Lincolnshire and north Nottinghamshire, and a population on the Norfolk Broads. In the past it must have been more common looking at old dots in the Atlas, and in 1883 Porritt was aware of records from Askham Bog, Bishop's Wood, Selby, Doncaster, Rossington and Sheffield. By the 1970s the range had contracted, with most records coming from Thorne and Hatfield Moors and from Potteric Carr, along with adjacent parts of VC63. Since 2000, all records have either been of larvae, or of males assembled to bred females. Moths appear to be extremely elusive, unlike Vapourer, and there do not appear to be any records at all for a very long time of a male moth being chanced upon by day. They are not attracted to light, unlike Vapourer. This leaves us with just two ways of establishing records - searching for larvae, or breeding females to attract the males. It may well be more widespread than we think. On two occasions (2015 and 2023), Julian Small attracted males this way at Wheldrake, so a long way north of the usual records. It just makes me wonder where else it might occur.

Virtually all of our records are from Thorne Moors and from Potteric Carr NR, and this is where larval searches have been carried out most thoroughly. Larvae have been found most commonly on bramble and on willows, though other plants have included silver birch and wych elm. Does it occur elsewhere? Are people mistaking the larvae for Vapourer larvae? I would hope not. Scarce Vapourer larvae have thick brownish-orange tufts on A1 to A4 and lack Vapourer's white lateral tuft on A1 and black lateral tuft on A2. The bodies are quite differently-coloured.

Sutton & Beaumont, 1989: This rare species is now even more local than formerly, there being no recent VC61 records. Most records are of larvae.

	Retained Specimen / Photograph will be Required.

Recorded in 14 (7%) of 200 10k Squares. First Recorded in 1857. Last Recorded in 2023. Additional Stats

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