- Generally Common / Widespread
ID pointers: The moth gets its name from the map-like markings on the forewing of the common form. In the form gallicus, the colour is more uniform, with less markings and a central white spot with another at the wing base. It is the only swift species that shows a chequered wing fringe and also a prominent white spot in the centre of the forewing. as with all the swifts, the female is a little larger and duller and less brightly marked across the forewings.
Distribution: A resident species that is widely distributed and common throughout Derbyshire. Can be abundant in woodlands in the south, fewer numbers in the north. Another species that associates itself with Bracken.
IMAGES BELOW: Melbourne – Male of the form gallicus – Tony Davison