Red List: Least Concern (LC). GB Status: Common.
Identification
The majority of November Moth, Pale November Moth & Autumnal Moths, especially when worn, cannot be assigned to species without dissection and should be recorded as 70.1071 Epirrita agg or November Moth agg.
A minority of male moths that are well marked and not worn can be identified to species level by looking at the position of the discal spot relative to the outer cross-band. Male Epirritas can also be identified to species by examining the octavals on the posterior margin of the 8th sternite with a 10x hand lens. See Waring et al (2017).
Recording method
Attracted to light.
Life cycle
One generation. Overwinters as an egg on bark or a twig. Larvae April to June. Pupates underground.
Larval foodplants
Most broadleaved trees and shrubs.
Habitat
Mainly broadleaved woodland, but also garden and hedgerows.
History
First recorded for Dumfries and Galloway in 1862 for VC72 near Dumfries by Lennon who stated it was ‘common everywhere around the Dumfries area’, in 1893 for VC74 at Corsemalzie by Gordon who found it to be ‘common and generally distributed in Wigtownshire, mainly flying after dark in woods and along hedge sides’, and in 1942 near Gatehouse of Fleet by Russell.
This is the most numerous of the four Epirrita moths.
