Status
Morley’s Final Catalogue: Not very frequent in woods on oak and sallow. Only occasionally in Bentley Woods in June, Ipswich, Beccles, Flixton near Bungay; singly at Ringsfield and Gorleston (D).
Recent Status: A fairly common species in Suffolk more prevalent in woodland.
Life Style: A single brooded day flying species that also comes to light from May to August. The larvae feed on a great range of both deciduous and coniferous tree leaves. The young larvae hibernate. They pupate in a dense white cocoon in the larval habitation.
Identification: The large moth is very variable in colour. The male has a large costal fold to one half. The moth’s colour trends from pale anteriorly to dark at the termen. The pale ranges from cream through to orange ochre. The dark from ochre through ferruginous and brown to black. Some species have no colour trend and may be dark or light. All have specific silver grey fasciae and that colour may also be on the thorax and the termen. There is a fascia at one half on the dorsum to one third on the costa that may be bent angled or incomplete. There is a wavy one from the costa at one half to the tornus that may be incomplete. There may be further marks in the apical third and on the costal third. https://mothdissection.co.uk/species.php?Tx=Ptycholoma_lecheanaRecorded in 32 (55%) of 58 10k Squares.
First Recorded in 1977.
Last Recorded in 2023. |