12.038 BF229  –  Tineidae –  Tineinae – Monopis obviella – Yellow-backed Detritus Moth – ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) Adult Micro:  CAT 2 – Confusion Species –       PDF Icon – click for General Verification Guidelines  |   PDF Icon – click for Specific Verification Guidelines
Green –  Rare / Uncommon / Scarce   
Taxonomy:   Micro   >>  Tineidae  >> Tineinae
Other Name/s: Yellow-backed Clothes Moth
ID Difficulty:  amber  – care required in the identification process, as confusion with similar species is likely – quality photographs required.
Confusion Species:  Monopis crocicapitella
ID pointers: A  golden yellow head, with a dark brown or blackish brown forewing that has a scattering of golden yellow scales. An obvious pale whitish central spot in forewing. A prominent pale yellow stripe down the dorsum bordering the central pale yellow band on thorax. Hind wing is dark greyish with a purplish sheen. Generally smaller than similar M.crocicapitella.
Distribution:  (Last record: 7 July 2023 at Long Eaton )  –  Unknown in Derbyshire with only 13 reported records between 2012 – 2023.  Suspect widespread just simply under-recorded. Very difficult to tell apart from Monopis crocicapitella.
Flight Period: May /  June /  July /  August /  September /  October /  –  On the wing in May – October Moth Activity: Nocturnal   – and is attracted to light Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Dave Evans  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 1 July 2025 by TD ***
Wingspan: 10-13mm
Food Plant: animal and plant detritus, especially woollen materials.
Last Recorded Year: 2023
Last Recorded By – Marion Bryce
Last Recorded General Area – Long Eaton

IMAGES BELOW:  Belper – 8/10/2021 – Dave Evans©

no images were found

 

Distribution Map for Monopis obviella

Found 24 records
    ↳ 5 from After 2025
    ↳ 10 from 2020 - 2024
    ↳ 9 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.

******* Choose ONLY one at a time, of either Monad, Tetrad or Hectad Distribution - each has it's own set of data. Also, the distribution maps cover ALL recorded data. *******

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.

Land-cover * shows the variety of land-cover within the VC57 area, based on the CORINE (Coordination of Information on the Environment) forty-four thematic classes of land-cover. This will show, to a greater or lesser degree, the number and variety of moths found in different land-cover types. The UK continues to operate within the Copernicus programme, with the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) providing Corine Land Cover (CLC) datasets for the UK and its territories.


NBN Atlas UK Distribution for – Monopis obviella

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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.

Visit NBN Site


Monthly Records By Year: Monopis obviella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Monthly Counts By Year: Monopis obviella
( data is based on 'Adult' stage records only. )


First/Last Recorded Dates: Monopis obviella
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: Monopis obviella
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Monopis obviella
AGR: 0%   |   Total % Change: 0%


CUSUM Analysis: Monopis obviella
About this chart: CUSUM (Cumulative Sum) charts track long-term trends in moth populations [ filtered by 'Adult' and 'Mine' life stages ] by showing whether each year’s counts are above or below the historical average. Even small shifts build up over time, making trends of growth, stability, or decline easier to see. CUSUM highlights trend-consistency — asking: “Across the years, have moth counts mostly stayed above or below average?”
The data sample has 17 gap year/s here (zero records) between 2000 and 2025. The moth may have been present in those gap years, but no data was available. Too many year-gaps may exaggerate or skew the chart.

Counts for the current year (2025) are pro-rated based on data available up to month 7 (July) to provide a full-year equivalent.

Purple line rises = years better than average; falls = years worse than average.
Peak (best year) Trough (worst year) Growth periods Decline periods
Population peaked around 2025, reaching above average levels. The lowest population point occurred near 2024, showing a significant decline.

What the Y-axis "Cumulative Deviation" means: Cumulative Deviation shows the running total of how each year’s moth population count differs from the long-term average. i

Hectad (10kmx10km) Coverage: Monopis obviella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Monopis obviella
( 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 2020-2025.

Records Behind the Map and Charts - Monopis obviella – 24 records available

Listed by Year - descending - scroll across to see all table columns

TaxonSite NameTetradYearDateCountStageSource
Monopis obviellaIngleby Ave, DerbySK33L202514/07/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Monopis obviellaupper cromford gardenSK25Y202511/06/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Monopis obviellaBelperSK34N202511/06/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Monopis obviellaMidway, Derbys.SK32A202519/06/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Monopis obviellaChaddesden GardenSK33T202521/06/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Monopis obviellaMidway, Derbys.SK32A202403/08/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Monopis obviellaKing's NewtonSK32Y202412/05/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Monopis obviellaWoodland AveSK43R202217/06/20221Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Monopis obviellaBelperSK34U202108/10/20211adultvc57_irecords_extract
Monopis obviellaWoodland AveSK43R202026/10/20201adultvc57_irecords_extract
Monopis obviellaWoodland AveSK43R202029/07/20201adultvc57_irecords_extract
Monopis obviellaWoodland AveSK43R202002/06/20201adultvc57_irecords_extract
Monopis obviellaWoodland AveSK43R202028/05/20201adultvc57_irecords_extract
Monopis obviellaWoodland AveSK43R202030/05/20201adultvc57_irecords_extract
Monopis obviellaFindern, Derbyshire, DEAZSK33A202025/05/20201adultvc57_irecords_extract
Monopis obviellaBackgarden MarehaySK34Z201516/06/20151adultvc57_irecords_extract
Monopis obviellaBackgarden MarehaySK34Z201219/06/20121adultvc57_irecords_extract
Monopis obviellaBamford St,RipleySK34Z201219/06/20121Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Monopis obviellaHardhurst Rd, Alvaston, DerbySK33W201029/06/20101Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Monopis obviellaHardhurst Rd, Alvaston, DerbySK33W201014/06/20101Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Monopis obviellaHardhurst Rd, Alvaston, DerbySK33W201030/06/20102Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Monopis obviellaHardhurst Rd, Alvaston, DerbySK33W201021/06/20101Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Monopis obviellaHardhurst Rd, Alvaston, DerbySK33W201005/06/20101Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Monopis obviellaEdgecote Drive,Newhall,SwadlincoteSK22V200609/09/20061Adultvc57_danes_bc_data

 
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