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70.068 BF1748  –  Geometridae –  Larentiinae – Mesoleuca albicillata – Beautiful Carpet – (Linnaeus, 1758) Adult Macro:  CAT 1 – Distinctive species unlikely to be confused with others –       PDF Icon – click for Adult Macro Verification Guidelines
Green –  Rare / Uncommon / Scarce   
Taxonomy:   Macro   >>  Geometridae  >> Larentiinae
ID Difficulty:  green  – easy to identify, generally distinctive and unlikely to be confused with other species.
ID pointers: As the name suggests, it is a very attractive carpet moth. The ground colour is a rich cream with a huge white central cross band with a dark basal area finely marked. A large dark patch near the wing tip and blue grey markings along the trailing edge for the forewing. As there is no dark central cross-band, this is a key ID feature that separates it from other White Carpet moths.
Distribution:  (Last record: 19 July 2022 at Darley Dale )  –  A resident species, that is locally rare in Derbyshire. It is mainly found at scattered sites in the south and central regions of the county with populations being small.
Flight Period: June /  July /  August /  –  On the wing between  June-August. Moth Activity: Nocturnal   – occasionally attracted to light Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Tony Davison  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 24 June 2025 by TD ***
Wingspan: 34-38mm
Forewing: 15-18mm Food Plant: Bramble, Dewberry, Raspberry and Hazel.
Last Recorded Year: 2022
Last Recorded By – Simon Roddis
Last Recorded General Area – Darley Dale
IMAGES BELOW:  Melbourne – Images by Tony Davison ©

70.068 BF1748 - Beautiful Carpet - Geometridae - Mesoleuca albicillata
Beautiful Carpet – Mesoleuca albicillata
70.068 BF1748 - Beautiful Carpet - Geometridae - Mesoleuca albicillata

1748-beautiful-carpet3 Beautiful Carpet - Melbourne - Tony Davison©
1748-beautiful-carpet Beautiful Carpet - Melbourne - Tony Davison©

Distribution Map for Mesoleuca albicillata

Found 42 records
    ↳ 0 from After 2025
    ↳ 3 from 2020 - 2024
    ↳ 39 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 – Mesoleuca albicillata

⚠️ 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: Mesoleuca albicillata
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

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


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


CUSUM Analysis: Mesoleuca albicillata
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 12 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 2017, reaching above average levels. The lowest population point occurred near 2011, 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: Mesoleuca albicillata
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Mesoleuca albicillata
( 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 - Mesoleuca albicillata – 42 records available

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

TaxonSite NameTetradYearDateCountStageSource
Mesoleuca albicillataStation Road, Darley DaleSK26R202219/07/20221adultvc57_irecords_extract
Mesoleuca albicillataRydal Close, Dronfield Woodhouse, DronfieldSK37J202112/06/20211adultDanes_2019-2021
Mesoleuca albicillataAmbergateSK35K202004/07/20201adultvc57_irecords_extract
Mesoleuca albicillataWhitwell Wood (centre area), Whitwell, WorksopSK57J201717/06/20173Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Mesoleuca albicillataCoal Aston, Owler Carr LaneSK38Q201601/07/20161adultvc57_irecords_extract
Mesoleuca albicillatagardenSK32R201629/07/20161adultvc57_irecords_extract
Mesoleuca albicillataNot givenSK25T201403/07/20141Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Mesoleuca albicillataSheffield Rd, Sheepbridge, ChesterfieldSK37S201225/07/20122Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Mesoleuca albicillataSheffield Rd, Sheepbridge, ChesterfieldSK37S201225/07/20122Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Mesoleuca albicillataMeynell Langley,Kirk LangleySK23Z201104/06/20111Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Mesoleuca albicillataSchool Close,Parkway Gardens,Darley DaleSK26R201125/06/20111Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Mesoleuca albicillataFlash Lane,Beeley MoorSK26X201109/06/20111Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Mesoleuca albicillataMain Street, Kings NewtonSK32Y201005/07/20101Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Mesoleuca albicillataThe Hollies,Station Rd,Darley DaleSK26R201022/05/20101Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Mesoleuca albicillataSchool Close,Parkway Gardens,Darley DaleSK26R201023/05/20101Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Mesoleuca albicillataSchool Close,Parkway Gardens,Darley DaleSK26R200930/06/20091Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Mesoleuca albicillataCalke Park Ticknall Lime YardsSK32R200722/07/20071adultvc57_irecords_extract
Mesoleuca albicillataTicknall Limeyards,TicknallSK32R200722/07/20071Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Mesoleuca albicillataFlash Lane,Beeley MoorSK26X200616/07/20061Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Mesoleuca albicillataSpinney Hill,MelbourneSK32X200607/07/20061Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Mesoleuca albicillataMain St,TicknallSK32R200617/07/20061Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Mesoleuca albicillataRobin WoodSK32M200623/06/20061adultvc57_irecords_extract
Mesoleuca albicillataCrich Chase,AmbergateSK35L200618/06/20061Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Mesoleuca albicillataRobin Wood (centre area track), TicknallSK32M200623/06/20061Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Mesoleuca albicillataBryan's Wood, Calke, TicknallSK31U200624/06/20061Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Mesoleuca albicillataClough Wood/Darley BridgeSK26Q200321/06/20031Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Mesoleuca albicillataHall Dale, Darley Dale (site not precise)SK26X200216/06/20021Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Mesoleuca albicillataMatlock Forest, Matlock (site not precise)SK36A200222/06/20021Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Mesoleuca albicillataLinacre Res, ChesterfieldSK37G199525/06/19952Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Mesoleuca albicillataLinacre Res, ChesterfieldSK37G199411/06/19941Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Mesoleuca albicillataLinacre Resr, Chesterfield (site not precise)SK37G199426/06/19941Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Mesoleuca albicillataLinacre Res, ChesterfieldSK37G199411/06/19941Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Mesoleuca albicillataLinacre Resr, Chesterfield (site not precise)SK37G199426/06/19941Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Mesoleuca albicillataLinnet Clough, Mellor, MarpleSJ98U199213/06/19921Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Mesoleuca albicillataCrich Chase,AmbergateSK35L199213/06/19921Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Mesoleuca albicillataCrich Chase,AmbergateSK35L199213/06/19921Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Mesoleuca albicillataLinnet Clough, Mellor, MarpleSJ98U199213/06/19921Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Mesoleuca albicillataClough Wood,Darley DaleSK26K199015/06/19901Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Mesoleuca albicillataClough Wood,Darley DaleSK26K199015/06/19901Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Mesoleuca albicillataAllestree ParkSK33J198512/07/19851adultvc57_irecords_extract
Mesoleuca albicillataClough Wood,Darley DaleSK26K198416/06/19841Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Mesoleuca albicillataCarvers Rocks NR, Hartshorne, Swadlincote (site not precise)SK32G197919/08/19791Adultvc57_danes_bc_data

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