Erebidae : Boletobiinae
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Beautiful Hook-tip
Laspeyria flexula

([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) 2473 / 72.069
Photo © Andy Nunn,  Skidby VC 61

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Scalloped Hook-tip
Falcaria lacertinaria
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Yorkshire Status: Increasingly common resident.

The 2020 lockdown summary below paints an accurate picture of the situation at that time. Numbers continued to rise until 2023 which was the first year that the number of records dropped. This of course is inevitable following a big expansion. Numbers cannot rise for ever, and an increase in parasitoid load and other factors result in some sort of equilibrium. We did however in 2023 still have 409 records of 834 moths from 157 sites, with many new sites on the edge of its range. This now extends to the lower reaches of the Dales, so it only has the north-west of the county to colonise.


2020 (CHF): Beautiful Hook-tip was known to Porritt. He said "we have two localities for this peculiar lichen feeder" These were Scarborough and York and were the furthest north this species had been recorded in Britain. This is yet another moth which then retreated south to the Midlands and East Anglia where it lay in the doldrums for many years before deciding to venture slowly north about fifty years ago. A record at Tophill Low in 1997 was a taste of things to come and from 2007 it decided Yorkshire was the "place to be", colonising VC62 in 2008 and the other three VCs in 2009. Since then, numbers have rocketed and we now have over 2000 records on the database. For the last three years I have been confidently predicting a slump in numbers as its parasitoids catch up with it, which just shows how much I know about moths, as records continue to climb. This year we received an amazing 454 records of 898 moths from 123 sites spread all across the county with the exception of the north west where its preferred woodland habitat is not quite so plentiful, though I do expect a bit more movement in this direction. It is already becoming easy to forget how rare this moth used to be. Counts into double figures are now quite common, particularly in VC61, and the biggest total caught in one trapping session is 35. This species produces a small second brood in September and early October most years but curiously there wasn't a single second-brood moth this year.

Sutton & Beaumont, 1989: Not recorded since Porritt (1883-86). Porritt said 'We have two localities for this peculiar lichen feeder: Scarborough (T.W.); York (R. C., Entom. April 1842).'. These Yorkshire records are the furthest north this species has been recorded in Britain.

Recorded in 121 (61%) of 200 10k Squares.
First Recorded in 1842.
Last Recorded in 2023.
Additional Stats

< Small Purple-barred  |  Small Marbled >
Forewing: 13-15mm
Flight: June - August
Foodplant:   Lichens growing on trees and bushes
Red List Status: Least Concern (LC)
GB Status: Common
Verification Grade:  Adult: 1
List Species Records   [Show All Latest]
Latest 5 Records
Date#VC10k Area
30/08/2023164SE33 - Leeds
16/08/2023162SE58 - Rievaulx
10/08/2023162SE65 - York (E)
09/08/2023162NZ30 - Great Smeaton
09/08/2023161TA41 - Kilnsea / Spurn Head
  Immature   Adult   [Show Flight Weeks]
Show Details | 1990 to 2023 | 2000 to 2023 | Graph Key
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