Yorkshire Status: Possibly extinct.

In 1883 Porritt described this species as "very local". He listed records from Bramham, Richmond, York, and at Spurn (marked as abundant) where the larvae fed on bedstraw. The Yorks records were from "sites near York" from Robert Cook in 1842 and William Prest in 1860. The only other record, which turned up on a BRC record card unhelpfully dated "1880 to 1940", is from "Upper Teesdale".

Populations still exist on moorland in Durham, and records in Weardale are very close to our northern border. This moth may remain undetected in the under-recorded northern wilds of VC65. The larvae of upland populations tend to feed on heather. It would be not at all surprising if it turned up somewhere in Upper Teesdale. Saxon managed to do this in 2023 so Dark Tussock could be the next.

	Retained Specimen / Photograph will be Required.

Recorded in 4 (2%) of 200 10k Squares. First Recorded in 1879. Last Recorded in 1883. Additional Stats

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