Yorkshire Status: Local resident.

Brown-tail provides our earliest moth record, from a history of All Saint's Church, Wath-upon-Dearne:
"Prayers were ordered to be read in the church in 1782 to avert the supposed impending calamity from the vast number of the larvae of the Brown Tail Moth (Arctia Phaeorrhoea) that abounded in that year. Having despoiled so many trees of their foliage, it was feared that they would extirpate the growing corn and grass and finally produce a famine."

So back in the 18th century there were obviously major outbreaks. Porritt was aware of several sites, but in 1907 wrote "I have never seen it in the county myself, and incline to think that the female of aurifula [ie Yellow-tail] which often has a brown tuft (the characteristic of chrysorrhea) has been mistaken for it." so it was evidently quite uncommon. There were then very few records until the 1970s when it began to appear at coastal sites in VC61. From the 1990s numbers increased at Spurn, but larvae were not found until 2004, since then they have been regular. Numbers were particularly high between 2006 and 2012 with maximum daily counts each year between 200 and 600, and frequent records of larvae on sea buckthorn. Numbers then died down but rose steeply in 2023 with a maximum count of 370.

Since 2000 it has been recorded regularly at many other sites in VC61, though never in the quantities seen at Spurn. Occasionally records turn up well inland. Like Porritt we sometimes wonder if these are misidentifications of female Yellow-tails, but in 2023, peak counts at Spurn coupled with easterly winds led to many verified inland records in VC62 and 63 from 7th to 9th July. These evidently stayed on to breed as larvae were seen in September in VC62. Although nearly all larval records in Yorkshire have been on sea buckthorn, they have also been seen on hawthorn and crab apple. Our records are very much at the northern limit in the UK.

The larvae feed communally and the hairs can cause a painful, irritant rash or breathing difficulties in humans and animals upon contact. Some local authorities are quite enthusiastic about destroying larval nests.

Sutton & Beaumont, 1989: In Porritt's list (1883-86) this moth was found at several sites in vice-counties 62 and 63. Except for a mention by Walsh (1956) for Scarborough (VC62) it was not then recorded again until 1973 when three specimens were found at Spurn (VC61) (BRS). There have been further records in several subsequent years, all specimens on or near the VC61 coast and believed to be vagrants, although it might possibly be established at Spurn.

Recorded in 46 (23%) of 200 10k Squares. First Recorded in 1782. Last Recorded in 2023. Additional Stats

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