Status
Morley's Final Catalogue: This picturesque insect, whose British range extends up to only Northants, used to occur quite rarely in marshes near three extremities of the County: to Henry Miller in Bixley decoy near Ipswich; to Dr Crowfoot at Beccles; and to the Rev. H. Williams of Croxton at Thetford. No notice since 1890; probably extinct, though said to have been recently taken ' near Thetford' by Mr. F. Sowals, who vouchsafed no reply to our enquiry.
Recent Suffolk Status: Very rare, both locally and nationally. Recent records only from Lakenheath fen (larval survey undertaken every year) and Brandon (adults in light trap, almost certainly from the breeding colony on the north side of the river in Norfolk).
Prone to extreme fluctuations, the Lakenheath colony is currently at a very low ebb with no larvae seen since 2019.
Life history: Single-brooded. Larvae can be located on foodplant seedheads where they are very cryptically coloured. Adult moths are not strongly attracted to light so larval surveys are a more reliable method of finding populations.
Identification: Unmistakeable.
Habitat: Wet grassland, fens, river valleys close to the foodplant.  | Retained Specimen / Photograph will be Required. | |
Recorded in 6 (10%) of 58 10k Squares.
First Recorded in 1890.
Last Recorded in 2023. |