Identification

Easily mistaken for a micro moth due to its small size, but the uniform brown forewing with a thick dark streak obscuring the kidney-mark should help to identify it.

Life cycle

It would appear to have two generations in Dumfries & Galloway, as in England, but our period is late June to late August, with further records from late September to mid-October.

Larval foodplants

Unknown.

Habitat

Found in marshes, wet woodlands and other damp habitats.

History 1860-2010

MOGBI (1983) shows one dot for our region which would refer to the 1976 record at Gatehouse of Fleet RIS station of two caught on 27th July for our first record of this diminutive snout. The nearest colonies at this time were south Cumbria and the Highlands.

The next records were not until 1997 when one was caught at Eskrigg NR (VC72) and five trapped during the year at Cally Woods (VC73). From that year it had been recorded annually except for 2004 and 2009.

There are three records from Wigtownshire: Float Bay in 1999, Dunskey Castle in 2000 and Glenling Moss in 2006, the rest are from VCs 72 & 73.