Yorkshire Status: Scarce and very local resident.

Scarce Black Arches is a relative newcomer to the country, being first found in 1959. Like many newcomers, it first started as a migrant to southern coastal counties, then formed a resident population along the coast followed by spread inland and up the east side of the country. The first Yorkshire record was as long ago as 1973 when a wandering moth was trapped at Muston. We had to wait until the 1990s for any more records, at Spurn, Rudston and Bridlington, but it was 2002 when the invasion started properly and a colony was established at Spurn. Numbers have fluctuated a lot since then, and in some years such as 2013 and 2020 there were very few records, but in good years, there has been further spread in the eastern half of VC63 and even into the south of VC63. Its favourite habitat seems to be calcareous areas with bramble, and as there is no shortage of this in the county, we are likely to see further spread.

Sutton & Beaumont, 1989: This species usually occurs on the south coast where it became established by immigration in the 1950s (Williams, 1958). The first northern record in Britain occurred in 1973 in Yorkshire, trapped by P. Q. Winter.

	Retained Specimen / Photograph will be Required.

Recorded in 16 (8%) of 200 10k Squares. First Recorded in 1973. Last Recorded in 2023. Additional Stats

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