Rare and Notable Moths
This page was last updated on:
Moth pages linked to this page . . .
This is a list of the moths in the
London area which have Red Data Book Status (RDB). The moths are
listed under the categories assigned by Plant (1993) which indicate
their status in the London area. The RDB status of the moth follows
its name in parentheses.
The status of these species
changes over time and undoubtedly some of these species are now
widely distributed in our area such as the Least Carpet while other
formerly common species such as the Garden Tiger are not in the Red
Book but are undergoing considerable declines in our area.
NATIONAL RED DATA BOOK CODES
(RDB).
R1 Species in danger of
extinction.Known from less than five 10-km squares in Britain.
R2
Species which are vunerable and likely to make it to category R1 if
causal factors continue to operate.
R3 Nationally rare species,
present in 15 or less 10-km squares in Britain.
Na Nationally
notable species, known from 30 or less 10-km squares in
Britain.
Nb Nationally notable species, known from 100 or less
10-km squares in Britain.
CATEGORISATION (after Plant
1993).
Category 1B:
Species
widespread and common across the entire London area except the truly
urban areas of east London and Middlesex where there are few or no
gardens.
Currant Clearwing (Nb)
Category 2B:
Species
widespread but rather locally distributed in the rural fringes and
parts of suburbia with large gardens.
Maple Pug (Nb)
Barred Hook-tip
(Nb)
Category 2D:
Species
whose distribution coincides with the chalk.
Brown Scallop (Nb)
Category 2E:
Species
which are only locally distributed but can be quite common where
they occur.
Least Carpet (Nb)
Buttoned
Snout (Nb) (Now considered not at risk)
Category 3:
Very local
residents. Species recorded in more than 10 but less than 30 tetrads
in the London area.
Red-belted Clearwing (Na)
('undeserved')
Yarrow Pug (Na)
Oak-tree Pug
(Nb)
Great Oak Beauty (Nb)
Brindled White-spot
(Nb)
Lead-coloured Drab (Nb)
Poplar Lutestring (Nb)
Reddish
Light Arches (Nb) ('extinct north of the Thames')
Shaded
Pug (Nb)
Waved Black (Nb) (This species is being increasingley
reported in our area)
Wormwood (Nb)
Category 4:
Extremely
local residents. These are the real rarities on the London list.
None is recorded in more than ten tetrads since 1980, and few are
likely to move up to category 3 in the foreseeable future. The
presence of one of these species as a resident on a site would
warrant appropriate steps being taken towards the conservation of
their particular requirements.
Broad-bordered Bee Hawk-moth (Na)
('Broxbourne Woods only')
Heart Moth (Na) (Colin Plant
has searched extensivly for this in 2000/2001 but none have been
found)
Hornet Moth (Na) ('Hampstead Heath only 'current'
record')
Light Orange Underwing (Na) ('Broxbourne Woods
only')
Lunar Hornet Moth (Na)
Orange-tailed Clearwing (Na)
('Broxbourne Woods only')
Pale-lemon Sallow
(Na)
White-spotted Pinion (Na) ('almost certainly extinct in
London area')
Large Red-belted Clearwing (Na)
Campanula
Pug (Na) ('only 3 records in Middx')
Golden-rod Pug (Nb)
('only 1 record in Middx')
Bordered Gothic (Nb) ('only
old records for Herts and Middx')
Chalk Carpet (Nb)
('Surrey only')
Goat Moth (Nb)
('endangered')
Juniper Carpet (Nb) (increasingly
common as it spreads in association with cultivated
Juniperus)
Large Thorn (Nb) ('Essex only')
Mocha
(Nb) ('Kent only')
Ruddy Carpet (Nb) ('Surrey and Essex
only')
Square-spot (Nb) ('Surrey
only')
Yellow-legged Clearwing (Nb)
Alder Kitten (Nb)
('Surrey only')
Orange Footman (Nb) ('Epping Forest,
Essex only')
Lead-coloured Pug (Nb) (known from a number
of Herts locations)
Ochreous Pug (Nb) ('probable
vagrant')
White Marked (Nb) ('formerly at Whippendell Wood
in Herts')
Four-spotted (R2) ('Surrey only')
Balsam
Carpet (R3) ('only 3 records 30-40 years old')
Category 7A:
Species
which have not been recorded in recent years in the London area.
Former London residents, now presumed extinct.
Narrow-bordered Bee Hawk-moth (Na)
('last recorded 40 years ago')
Triple-spotted Pug (Na)
('one record for Middx over 40 years ago')
Small Chocolate
Tip (Nb) ('only very old records for Herts')
Sword-grass
(Nb) ('last recorded 50 years ago')
Common Fan-foot (Nb)
('last recorded 40 years ago')
Pimpernel Pug (Nb)
('only 3 old records for Middx')
