70.217 BF1896  –  Geometridae –  Ennominae – Macaria brunneata – Rannoch Looper –  (Thunberg, 1784) 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     day-flying – Day-flying
Taxonomy:   Macro   >>  Geometridae  >> Ennominae
ID Difficulty:  amber  – care required in the identification process, as confusion with similar species is likely – quality photographs required.
Confusion Species:  Dingy Shell
ID pointers: A reasonably easy geometrid moth to identify, however away from Scotland, caution is required. It is a day-flying species and often rests with wings folded like a butterfly. The moth is delicately marked with darkish brown wavy diagonal cross-lines, across both fore and hind wings. The female can be brighter marked than the male, but the males show darker brown “notches” along the forewing costa (leading edge) and these are usually the first ID indicator. The ground colour being a rusty-orange/cinnamon brown. Very rounded forewing tips, with feathered antennae on the male. The confusion species, Dingy Shell, tends to show a chequered fringe and the male doesn’t show the extensive feathering on the antennae.
Distribution:  As the name suggests this species is confined to the woodland areas of central Scotland. However it does occasionally occur as a migrant, usually on the east coast. On 15th/16th June 2023 several specimens were trapped at inland locations in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire, Lincolnshire and Yorkshire. This one, a male, was a first Derbyshire record, which was trapped overnight 15th/16th June, at a garden trap at Fenny Bentley, by Sam Goddard. An incredible record and a super addition to the county’s moth list. This specimen was also shown, by way of photographs, to a number of local “moth-ers” and also to the Fife county recorder, for confirmation on the identification. A unanimous decision was received on the ID. A similar influx took place in 2011, when there were high temperatures over western Europe, along with a moderate ENE wind. Similar conditions to this 2023 arrival.  Incredibly Sam trapped a second individual overnight 17th/18th June 2023, again in his garden at Fenny Bentley. Another multiple record occurred in another garden in Yorkshire, so obviously there has been an extremely large influx of this species into the country. I was very delighted to be able to view the 2nd record, and very grateful to Sam for inviting me over to see it. Two more have been recorded from Staveley and Belper between 20th – 25th June 2023. Very grateful to all the contributors and for allowing me the use of their images.
Flight Period: June /  July /  –  On the wing – June and July Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Dave Evans, Sid Morris, Tony Davison, Sam Goddard  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 21 July 2025 by WS ***
Wingspan: 20-30mm
Forewing: 11-13mm
Last Recorded By – Not Recorded
Last Recorded General Area – Not Recorded

IMAGES BELOW:  4th Record – Dave Evans©, Belper 24th/25th June 2023; 3rd record – Sid Morris, Norbrigg Flash NR, Staveley 21st June 2023; Fenny Bentley, Derbyshire – Tony Davison© – 2nd record; Fenny Bentley, Derbyshire – 1st record – photos by kind permission of Sam Goddard© 15th/16th June 2023.

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Distribution Map for Macaria brunneata

Found 2 records
    ↳ 0 from After 2025
    ↳ 2 from 2020 - 2024
    ↳ 0 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 – Macaria brunneata

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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.

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Monthly Records By Year: Macaria brunneata
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

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


First/Last Recorded Dates: Macaria brunneata
Adult-only & Anything [Larvae, Pupae, Adult, Mines]

Shading shows moth presence between dates

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Recordings By Year: Macaria brunneata
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Macaria brunneata
AGR: 0%   |   Total % Change: 0%
Macaria brunneata
Insufficient records/data for an AGR analysis
Years Analysed: 2000 – 2025
Macaria brunneata
Insufficient records/data for a CUSUM analysis
Years Analysed: 2000 – 2025

Hectad (10kmx10km) Coverage: Macaria brunneata
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Macaria brunneata
( 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 - Macaria brunneata – 2 records available

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

TaxonSite NameTetradYearDateCountStageSource
Macaria brunneataNorbriggs Flash , DerbyshireSK47M202321/06/20231adultvc57_irecords_extract
Macaria brunneataBelperSK34N202324/06/20231adultvc57_irecords_extract

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