– click for General Verification Guidelines | – click for Specific Verification Guidelines 
– Significant Record / Very Rare / Vagrant
– care required in the identification process, as confusion with similar species is likely – quality photographs required. ID pointers: Males: Have a wingspan of 16-22 mm. Their wings are translucent and covered in grey hair-scales, and they possess large, feathery (bipectinate) antennae. Females: Are wingless, legless, and maggot-like in appearance. They are typically yellow with a brown head and vestigial antennae.
Distribution: (First record: 1949 at Glossop ) – (Last record: 24 August 2025 at Nether North Grain, Snake Road ) – This record was first thought to be a first record for VC57 Derbyshire of the larval case discovered at Nether North Grain, Snake Road on 24th August 2025. The three observers including the Suffolk County Recorder all have experience of the species, leaving no doubts about the authenticity of the record. However, two old records have been discovered by one of our recording team – An old record of an adult from Mapmate – Glossop 9/5/1949, and a record of the larval case identified by Steve Hind on 5/6/1993 at Lightwood, Buxton.
General Comment: It is best known for its sexual dimorphism and the protective silk cases constructed by its larvae.Larval Stage: The larvae are detritivores, feeding on grasses, heather (Calluna), and decaying leaves. This stage can last up to two years.
Larvae: Live inside a silken case, roughly 20 mm long, which they camouflage with longitudinally arranged fragments of grass or heather.
Pupation: Occurs between April and June. Larvae often fix their cases low on vegetation, posts, or tree trunks.
A. atra is a bagworm that lives and feeds externally instead of living within the leaf tissue. A. atra larvae exhibit the following feeding behaviours: They live inside a mobile silk case camouflaged with fragments of grass and heather (unmistakeable). They feed on the outside of plants, primarily consuming grasses, heather (Calluna), and other low-growing plants. The larvae typically stay on or near the ground and are long-lived, often remaining in the larval stage for two years.
*** Last updated on 3 January 2026 by TD ***
Last Recorded Year: 2025
First Recorded Year: 1949
Last Recorded By – Neil Sherman
Last Recorded General Area – Nether North Grain, Snake Road
Selected Images:
Image Gallery
No gallery images found for this moth.
Distribution Map for Acanthopsyche atra
Found 3 records
↳ from 2026+
↳ 1 from 2020 - 2025
↳ 2 from Before 2020
↳ from 2026+
↳ 1 from 2020 - 2025
↳ 2 from Before 2020
If the Map Layers function fails, just refresh the page and it should be OK after. Use the +- zoom on the top left, or on a tablet, use two fingers to zoom. Remember, the last layer you ticked is the one which displays the popup information - they sit on top of each other - de-select then re-select, to see the popup values.
Bedrock Geology ** indirectly affects moth distribution by influencing the type of habitat and food plants available in an area. In turn, this may affect the types of moths that can thrive, or where they can most likely be found.
NBN Atlas UK Distribution for – Acanthopsyche atra
⚠️ Please wait for the map to load fully – do not click the link shown.
Note – the NBN Atlas datasets are listed in the map below and vary in their currency (uptodateness) – however,
the map does give a general indication of the moth's distribution across the UK.
Monthly Records By Year:
Acanthopsyche atra
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Monthly Counts By Year: Acanthopsyche atra
( data is based on 'Adult' stage records only. )
First/Last Recorded Dates: Acanthopsyche atra
Adult-only & Anything [Larvae, Pupae, Adult, Mines]
Shading shows moth presence between dates
Click the colour discs below to Select/De-select as Required
Recordings By Year: Acanthopsyche atra
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Acanthopsyche atra
AGR: 0% | Total % Change: 0%
Acanthopsyche atra
Insufficient records/data for an AGR analysis
Years Analysed: 2000 – 2025
Hectad (10kmx10km) Coverage: Acanthopsyche atra
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Acanthopsyche atra
Acanthopsyche atra
( data includes Adult Stage only )
Flight Period chart – the grey hatched area above, which can cross one or more months, pictorially represents the best guess we have for this moth's flight periods [month/s]. The coloured lines represent the actual months seen in flight, from site observation records received between 2020-2026.
Records Behind the Map and Charts - Acanthopsyche atra – 3 records available
Listed by Year - descending - scroll across to see all table columns
| Site Name | Tetrad | Date | Count | Stage | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nether North Grain, Snake Road | SK19B | 24/08/2025 | 1 | Larva | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Lightwood, Buxton | SK07M | 05/06/1993 | 1 | case | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Glossop | SK09M | 09/05/1949 | 1 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |