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70.047 BF1720  –  Geometridae –  Larentiinae – Nycterosea obstipata – The Gem – (Fabricius, 1794) Adult Macro:  CAT 2 – Can be confused with other species – Can be confused with other species       PDF Icon – click for Adult Macro Verification Guidelines
Brown –  Significant Record / Very Rare / Vagrant        orange – Migrant
Taxonomy:   Macro   >>  Geometridae  >> Larentiinae
Other Name/s: Orthonama obstipata
ID Difficulty:  amber  – care required in the identification process, as confusion with similar species is likely – quality photographs required.
ID pointers: The ground colour of the male wing is an orange-brown with a wavy cross-band running through the central area of the forewing. This band is usually a darker contrasting purple-brown. Can be very faded and most often is on migrants. The female is better marked being a deep rosewood-brown with a distinctive white ring shaped central forewing spot and faint whitish wavy cross-lines.
Distribution:  (Last record: 6 November 2024 at Belper )  –  A very rare immigrant to Derbyshire. There are very few records of this species being seen or captured in Derbyshire. Several in the 1800’s and then four records in the 1960’s. Single records in 2003, 2015 & 2022, with the latest accounts from 28th October 2024 – Chaddesden and 6th November 2024.
Flight Period: April /  May /  June /  July /  August /  September /  October /  November /  –  Can be trapped anytime between April – November. Moth Activity: Nocturnal   – and is attracted to light Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Tony Davison, Martin Roome, Dave Evans  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 24 June 2025 by TD ***
Wingspan: 18-21mm
Forewing: 12-14mm Food Plant: Various low-growing plants.
Last Recorded Year: 2024
Last Recorded By – Dave Evans
Last Recorded General Area – Belper
IMAGES BELOW:  1 – Martin Roome ©  /  2 – Male – Foremark Reservoir – Image by Tony Davison © 

The Gem 28/10/2024 - Chaddesden- Martin Roome
The Gem 28/10/2024 – Chaddesden- Martin Roome
Gem Foremark Reservoir - 18-11-2003 - Tony Davison
Gem Foremark Reservoir – 18-11-2003 – Tony Davison
The Gem - Dave Evans 6/11/2024 - Belper
The Gem – Dave Evans 6/11/2024 – Belper
The Gem 28/10/2024 - Chaddesden- Martin Roome
Gem Foremark Reservoir - 18-11-2003 - Tony Davison
The Gem - Dave Evans 6/11/2024 - Belper

The Gem - Dave Evans 6/11/2024 The Gem - 6th November 2024 - Belper - Dave Evans
The Gem - Martin Roome The Gem - 28th October 2024 - Chaddesden - Martin Roome
The Gem - Martin Roome The Gem - 28th October 2024 - Chaddesden - Martin Roome
1720-gem The Gem - November 2003 - Foremark Reservoir - Tony Davison©
 

Distribution Map for Nycterosea obstipata

Found 18 records
    ↳ 0 from After 2025
    ↳ 3 from 2020 - 2024
    ↳ 15 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 – Nycterosea obstipata

⚠️ 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.

Visit NBN Site


Monthly Records By Year: Nycterosea obstipata
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

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


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


CUSUM Analysis: Nycterosea obstipata
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 21 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 2003, reaching above average levels. The lowest population point occurred near 2003, 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: Nycterosea obstipata
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Nycterosea obstipata
( 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 - Nycterosea obstipata – 18 records available

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

TaxonSite NameTetradYearDateCountStageSource
Nycterosea obstipataBelperSK34N202406/11/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Nycterosea obstipataChaddesden, DerbySK33T202428/10/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Nycterosea obstipataEA depotSK43G202219/07/20221adultvc57_irecords_extract
Nycterosea obstipataBackgarden MarehaySK34Z201507/09/20151adultvc57_irecords_extract
Nycterosea obstipataNewshaw Lane, Hadfield, GlossopSK09C200604/08/20061Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Nycterosea obstipataNewshaw Lane, Hadfield, GlossopSK09C200604/08/20061Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Nycterosea obstipataFOREMARK RESERVOIRSK32H200318/11/20031adultvc57_irecords_extract
Nycterosea obstipataForemark Resr, TicknallSK32H200318/11/20031Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Nycterosea obstipataDeerlands Rd, Ashgate, ChesterfieldSK37K199601/09/19961Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Nycterosea obstipataFar Cross,Cavendish Park,MatlockSK36A199621/08/19961Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Nycterosea obstipataStevens Rd, SandiacreSK43T199619/08/19961Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Nycterosea obstipataStevens Rd, SandiacreSK43T199608/07/19961Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Nycterosea obstipataStocksmoor Farm, Ashover Rd, Old TuptonSK36S199625/07/19961Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Nycterosea obstipataGallows Inn Close,IlkestonSK44Q199607/06/19961Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Nycterosea obstipataThe Field,Shipley,IlkestonSK44M199613/06/19961Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Nycterosea obstipataFar Cross,Cavendish Park,MatlockSK36A198705/08/19873Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Nycterosea obstipataWelbeck Rd, BolsoverSK47Q196919/10/19691Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Nycterosea obstipataNewbold Drive, ChesterfieldSK37R196918/09/19691Adultvc57_danes_bc_data

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