Yorkshire Status: Very rare resident.

Micropterix species are small, with glossy purplish or bronze-coloured wings held at a steep angle. They are a very primitive group of moths, with functioning jaws, feeding on pollen.

This is the rarest of the genus, both in Yorkshire and nationally. We have very few records, as follows:

1859 (probably prior to this date) York. Mentioned by Stainton A manual of British Butterflies and Moths
1997 Stainton Little Wood, several swept on 26/5/1997. Another was swept from hawthorn blossom at the same site on 3/5/2002.
2017 Raygate Slack - Levisham (VC62): one seen by day 23rd May.

The markings are a little indistinct, but the black head should be enough to separate it from other Micropterix species. There are currently no confirmed records from VC61, 64 or 65 as the location of the old "York" record is unknown.

Sutton & Beaumont, 1989: Very local and rare, the single record is assigned to VC62, in accordance with conventions used in this work the same record is attributed to VC64 on map 2 in MBGBI 1 on the assumption that the locality was Askham Bog (J. Heath, pers. comm.).

Verification Grade Comment: May need photo verification if away from known sites.

Recorded in 3 (2%) of 200 10k Squares. First Recorded in 1859. Last Recorded in 2017. Additional Stats

Exit Recorder