Yorkshire Status: Extinct in Yorkshire

There have been two Yorkshire records of this species. The first mentioned in The Naturalist 1:255 as follows: "Mr William Bowers of the Training College York, a young but indefatigable entomologist, during last midsummer's vacation collected in this neighbourhood amongst many others ... (list of larvae) ... Mr Bowers has taken splendid imagos of Boarmia Roboraria (Great Oak Beauty), N. Trepida (Great Prominent) and Stauropus fagi. Richard Hebson, Bailby Bank, Selby Nov 21 1864." It seems highly likely but unproven that the site of capture of this specimen must have been Bishop Wood. Porritt includes the records in his list and says "near Selby". The second record, as listed in Sutton and Beaumont says "from the Auckley area (VC63) as a larva in the late 1950s. No precise details are available but the authenticity of the specimen was vouched for by the late Mr A. H. Wright who was a close friend of the collector (per PS, Doncaster Mus.)."

These two records, assuming they are correct, are the most northerly in the country and are well to the north of other records. In the east of England, according to the Atlas it gets as far north as north Norfolk, and on the west site as far as north Wales, however there are old records in Lincolnshire and in 2023 it was seen at Woodhall Spa. The population is healthy and seems to be slowly increasing, and if it can occur in central Linsolnshire, it would not need a huge push for it to reach Yorkshire. It would be rather nice to find the strange crustacean-like larva in old woodland in the south of VC63!

Recorded in 2 (1%) of 200 10k Squares.
First Recorded in 1863.
Last Recorded in 1950.
Additional Stats