Yorkshire Status: Common and widespread resident. Under-recorded due to the vast majority not being determined.

Epirrita species
Every year we receive several hundred records of “November Moth” and sometimes the other Epirrita species which should clearly be the aggregate species. Unless the underside of the tip of the abdomen has been examined (almost impossible on a live moth) they should all be logged as “November Moth agg.” as they are not reliably determined by looking at the wing markings. Small Autumnal Moth is usually an exception as it flies earlier in the year, mostly in upland areas, and is smaller. Dates and size however can overlap with the other Epirrita species so caution is required. The third edition of Waring and Townsend’s excellent field guide has good pictures on page 101. Note that females cannot be reliably identified. November Moth is by far the commonest species to occur in most gardens. If you are lucky enough to live close to birch woodland you may attract Autumnal Moth and Pale November Moth to your trap. Pale November Moth is rare in the south and east of the county whilst Small Autumnal Moth is largely an upland species. Autumnal Moth appears to be fairly well distributed. November Moth is likely to be a lot more common than the dots on the map suggest as moths are rarely examined critically.

November Moth appears to be common over most of the county, and can appear in the trap in big numbers. The Atlas suggests that it is in major long-term decline, but as this is based on Rothamsted traps and Yorkshire doesn't have any (as at 2024) this should be taken with a pinch of salt.


Sutton & Beaumont, 1989: Widely distributed and often common throughout all five vice-counties, although records of imagines are fewer in some areas probably due to the lateness of the flight season. Larvae are reported to be common on hawthorn in May at Muston (PQW pers. comm.). A useful, but by no means infallible, guide to distinguishing the four Epirrita species from external characteristics is given on page 70 of Dunn and Parrack (1986). This itself is taken from Heslop Harrison (1932). The species can only be separated with certainty by examining the octavals or by larval morphology (AMR pers. comm.).

	Determination by Genitalia Examination (gen. det.) Required

Recorded in 57 (29%) of 200 10k Squares.
First Recorded in 1879.
Last Recorded in 2023.
Additional Stats