Species Account background
Local status
These figures were used based on the dataset up to and including 2011 records.
| Micro-moths | Macro-moths | |||
| Abundance | Records | Abundance | Records | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abundant | 5000+ | Abundant | 10000+ | Very common | 1500-4999 | Very common | 5000-9999 | Common | 750-1499 | Common | 3000-4999 | Fairly common | 400-749 | Fairly common | 2000-2999 | Uncommon | 150-399 | Uncommon | 750-1999 | Scarce | 50-149 | Scarce | 100-749 | Rare | 5 to 49 | Rare | 10 to 99 | Very rare | 1 to 4 | Very rare | 1 to 9 |
| Micro-moths | Macro-moths | |||
| Distribution | Tetrads | Distribution | Tetrads | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Widespread | 300+ | Widespread | 400+ | Fairly widespread | 100-299 | Fairly widespread | 200-399 | Thinly distributed or restricted | 40-99 | Thinly distributed or restricted | 100-199 | Local | 10-39 | Local | 25-99 | Very local | 1-9 | Very local | 1-24 |
Micro-moths are vastly under-recorded and many of the maps and local status do not represent the probable abundance or distribution of some species. Where this is obvious, a judgement has been made and the status changed to provide a more accurate impression than the number of records alone suggest. Many of the moths are rarely recorded or identified as adults, but are recorded from leaf-mines or larval cases only. With the publication of the Field Guide to the Micro-moths of Great Britain and Ireland by Sterling, Parsons and Lewington may well change the interest level in recording such moths, but the difficulty of identification of some should not be underestimated.
Maps
Records are of adults, larva and leaf-mines mapped to tetrad level. By clicking on a dot, the records for that tetrad are displayed in a table below. The very few records which are entered as 10km square references only, may only be noticed on the coastal squares, where a dot appears to be in the sea. A very small number of duplicate records have been identified, particularly at Spurn, and these are being removed.If more than one trapping method has been used, this displays as two or more records, and is not a duplicate.
Some distributions, particularly of those moths usually located by leaf mines or larval cases, are more a reflection of observer activity rather than actual distribution of the species.
Locate
Clicking on a site name will open up a map of the location with a square containing the site. The size of the square depends on the accuracy of the OS reference added, and the red marker will appear in the bottom left corner of that square. To look up the location of place names and sites you can also use the locate function.
Phenology
The graphs are produced from the records of adults (blue columns) and immature stages (black columns) with full dates listed in the database. Those with vague dates are excluded, such as some of the older records with just a year recorded. With some winter species, the charts will also reflect lack of trapping during the coldest months.
Species Summary
In addition to the national and local status, there is the local record grade which indicates the abundance and identification difficulty of the adults. Many of the smaller species are difficult to identify as adults, but are easier to identify, with care, by the leaf-mine and foodplant; these would have two grades in the local record box. Wing length rather than wingspan is shown, as span is perhaps more appropriate for set specimens. The flight period reflects the range of the Yorkshire records, but for some species with just the odd record this does not reflect the true flight period. Where the Yorkshire flight-times are significantly different from accepted national flight-times, this is mentioned. Foodplants are gleaned from numerous sources, and in most cases refer to the plants on which eggs are laid and the larva feed.
Maps & Web Database by