Yorkshire Status: Scarce and local resident.

Dotted Rustic has a curious story. In 1882 Porritt wrote "Excessively rare. Has occurred at York. Is also mentioned in an old list of Sheffield species, but this record needs confirmation". There were no further records until 1980 when it suddenly appeared at various sites in VC61 and 63, reaching VC62 in 1983, VC64 in 1984, and VC65 in 1985. The largest counts in the 1980s came from Spurn, with a maximum of 46 on 16/8/1987. Records reached a peak in 1987 and since then it has declined. The first year it failed to appear was 2003, and the only records we have had since 2016 have been two single moths in VC62 in 2022, in fact all records since 2010 have been from VC62. Does it still occur there? We simply don't know. The situation is mirrored all across the country, so it is not just a local Yorkshire effect. It is still present in parts of the Midlands, the South-east of England, Northumberland and eastern Scotland. This is reputed to be an aestivating species, emerging in June, undergoing a summer "hibernation" and reappearing when the weather cools down at the end of summer, though the flight-time phenogram on Yorkshire doesn't really bear this out. Like other aestivating species such as the Yellow Underwings, it is a common find in Brown Long-eared Bat roosts, and many of our records are of moth wings seen this way. All the literature says "prone to great fluctuations in numbers and distribution". We've certainly had one major fluctuation, but I'm having trouble finding evidence of previous fluctuations. Nothing is mentioned in Noctuidae Europaeae.

Sutton & Beaumont, 1989: Previously only doubtfully recorded in Porritt's list (1883-86). This species suddenly appeared in 1980 and has undergone a spectacular range expansion since then, although it has been suggested it could also decline with equal rapidity! (PQW pers. comm.). It seems to be a common prey item for long-eared bats, several records below are of wings found below the roosts and S. & J. Warwick comment that wing remains suggest it is much more common than light trap catches would indicate. A.M. Riley also reports it to be regularly taken in Rothamsted Insect Survey suction traps but not often at light.

	Retained Specimen / Photograph will be Required.

Recorded in 53 (27%) of 200 10k Squares. First Recorded in 1857. Last Recorded in 2022. Additional Stats

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