Species Account
Distribution
Summary Data
Season (Adult / Immature):
|
National Status: Common Local Status: Scarce and thinly distributed or restricted resident. Local Record: Grade 1 See here for explanation Flight time: One generation, Jul-Aug. Forewing: M 25-34mm. F 33-40mm. Foodplant: Heathers, Bilberry, Bramble other woody plants. |
Regional breakdown:
VC61 | VC62 | VC63 | VC64 | VC65 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year first recorded | 1928 | 1930 | 1873 | 1804 | 1880 |
Year last recorded | 2014 | 2014 | 2014 | 2014 | 2013 |
Number of records | 339 | 149 | 146 | 210 | 50 |
Number of individuals | 389 | 132 | 430 | 283 | 125 |
Unique positions | 39 | 105 | 100 | 131 | 36 |
Unique locations | 42 | 85 | 87 | 112 | 36 |
Adult records | 330 | 74 | 63 | 126 | 21 |
Immature records | 7 | 60 | 65 | 74 | 22 |
For the county, we have a total of 894 records from 362 sites. First recorded in 1804.
Photos
Species Account
Sutton & Beaumont, 1989: There are two subspecies of this moth, ssp. callunae (Palmer), the Northern Eggar and ssp. quercus (Linnaeus), the Oak Eggar. The main difference are in habitat preferences and phenology, callunae has a two year life-cycle whilst quercus completes its growth in a single year. In Derbyshire Harrison and Sterling (1986) comment that in callunae (the most frequent of the two) the adult insects are only found in odd-numbered years. In Yorkshire this seems to be the case in the west (see Kettlewell, 1973 for example), however in the North York Moors adult insects are recorded in both odd and even years, although there have been no indications of numbers involved so it may be that the majority are synchronised in odd-number years. Yorkshire records which distinguish between the two suggest that quercus is only found in the south-east of the County (Spurn Point, VC61, and possibly Hatfield Moor, VC62). Callunae is common on high moors and lowland mosses throughout vice-counties 61-64, although not recorded from VC65 there seems to be no reason why it should not be present.
2012 (CHF): Both subspecies seem to be doing well in upland and lowland areas.
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