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Spotted Sulphur
Acontia trabealis (Scopoli, 1763)
Noctuidae: Acontiinae
2414 / 73.029
Photo © Neil Sherman,  Bulgaria. July 2014

Similar Suffolk Species: None
Forewing: 10-11mm.
Flight: One generation May-July. (Aug)
Foodplant:   Field Bindweed.
Red List: Regionally Extinct (RE)
GB Status: Extinct
Verification Grade:  Adult: 3

Morley's Final Catalogue: Confined in Britain to EAnglia; its distribution is from central and southern Europe through west-central Asia to Turkestan. With us it indicates the shores of anciently-salt estuaries, of which (1) that of the Orwell provides the records of the speciesbefore 1890 at Ipswich and Needham; still surviving at Coddenham (Trans. ii, 291). That of the Deben a specimen taken at Waldringfield in 1879 by our Member, T. Naunton Waller. And (3) those of the old Fen Sea, along (x) the Little Ouse, where E. trabealis was 're-discovered' as British by the great Joe Dunning, when a school-boy, at Brandon in 1845 (he was admitted to the Ent. Soc. when but sixteen and founded the Cambs Ent. Soc. when twenty-four: EMM. xxxiii, 282); it did not occur the two next years (Stainton, 298) till 1858 (Ent. Wk. Int. iv, 110); at Croxton in 1860 and 1864. About fifty were mopped up in 1868 by Wratislaw, who first found it along (b) the Lark River, where Meek took eight in August 1884 and the Bishop found it plentiful at Worlington in 1925. It was locally quite abundant up to at least 1899 (Sparke, Mly) along both valleys, and it still persists locally in satisfactory numbers (Doughty 1924; Trans. 1934, 292-5; Hawley 1937).

Recent Suffolk Status: The beautiful species was last seen in the Suffolk breck in 1960 and is extinct with us.

Identification: Unmistakable.

Habitat: Formerly inhabiting fallow fields, waste ground, roadside verges and old asparagus fields.

Retained Specimen / Photograph will be Required.

Recorded in 5 (9%) of 58 10k Squares.
First Recorded in 1845.
Last Recorded in 1958.

Latest 5 Records
Date#VC10k Area
01/01/1958 to 31/12/1960+26TL77 - Mildenhall
25/06/1955226TL77 - Mildenhall
27/06/1953826TL77 - Mildenhall
28/06/1952526TL77 - Mildenhall
27/06/1952126TL77 - Mildenhall
Further info: Acontia trabealis
 
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