Yorkshire Status: Rare migrant and extinct resident.

Portland Moth is a coastal species, but there seems to have been an inland population at one time in Yorkshire. Porritt in 1883 mentioned one at York, in addition to a Spurn record. Rutherford's 1970 lists mention records from Holme on Spalding Moor in 1920 and Skipwith Common in 1955, and Sutton and Beaumont list one from near Doncaster in 1962. There were similar records in Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. There have been no inland records since then, however presumed migrants turned up at Spurn in 1976 and 2011. Nationally this is a rare species, with a few scattered and widely-separated populations around the coast. It seems to be doing particularly well in the sand dunes of the Sefton Coast in Lancashire. The name does not refer to the location, but refers to Margaret Cavendish Bentinck, the Duchess of Portland who is said to have been the first to rear it in the UK, early in the 19th century.


Sutton & Beaumont, 1989: A rare moth in Yorkshire, the only recent records being from Spurn (VC61) and South Elmsall (VC63). There have been no other records since one was found at Skipwith (VC61) on 14.9.1955 (SMJ) and one near Doncaster (VC63) in 1962 (GEH per PS).

	Retained Specimen / Photograph will be Required.

Recorded in 6 (3%) of 200 10k Squares. First Recorded in 1860. Last Recorded in 2011. Additional Stats

Exit Recorder