73.217 BF2319  –  Noctuidae –  Xyleninae – Cosmia pyralina – Lunar-spotted Pinion – ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) Adult Macro:  CAT 1 – Distinctive species unlikely to be confused with others –       PDF Icon – click for Adult Macro Verification Guidelines

Brown –  Significant Record / Very Rare / Vagrant    
Taxonomy:   Macro   >>  Noctuidae  >> Xyleninae
ID Difficulty:  green  – easy to identify, generally distinctive and unlikely to be confused with other species.
ID pointers: The moth gets its name from a small half-moon shaped marking near the tip of the forewing. Rests with wings arched and curled over body. The ground colour is a rich brownish rosy pink. A whitish post median cross-line that has a deep V pointing towards the wing tip. There is also a small dark spot at the wing tip.
Distribution:  (Last record: 13 July 2025 at Chaddesden )  –   A resident that is rare, uncommon and only locally distributed in Derbyshire. In 1986 reported as no longer present in the county. First recorded again in 2002. Current status unsure. This specimen was trapped in 2004 and seems singles are caught each year. Not recorded since 2020.
Flight Period: July /  August /  September /  –  On the wing July – September. Moth Activity: Nocturnal   – is attracted to light and sugar Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Tony Davison, Neil Loverock  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 27 July 2025 by TD ***
Wingspan: 29-34mm
Forewing: 13-16mm
Food Plant: Elm (Ulmus)
Last Recorded Year: 2025
Last Recorded By – Neil Loverock
Last Recorded General Area – Chaddesden

IMAGES BELOW:  Kings Newton, Derbyshire – Tony Davison© / Chaddesden (2025) Neil Loverock©

Distribution Map for Cosmia pyralina

Found 14 records
    ↳ 1 from After 2025
    ↳ 1 from 2020 - 2024
    ↳ 12 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 – Cosmia pyralina

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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: Cosmia pyralina
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

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


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


CUSUM Analysis: Cosmia pyralina
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 2025, reaching above average levels. The lowest population point occurred near 2020, 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: Cosmia pyralina
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Cosmia pyralina
( 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 - Cosmia pyralina – 14 records available

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

TaxonSite NameTetradYearDateCountStageSource
Cosmia pyralinaChaddesden GardenSK33T202513/07/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Cosmia pyralinaFindern, Derbyshire, DEAZSK33A202026/06/20201adultvc57_irecords_extract
Cosmia pyralinaMain Street, Kings NewtonSK32Y200513/07/20051Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Cosmia pyralinaMain St,Kings Newton,MelbourneSK32Y200513/07/20051Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Cosmia pyralinaMain Street, Kings NewtonSK32Y200401/08/20041Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Cosmia pyralinaMain St,Kings Newton,MelbourneSK32Y200401/08/20041Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Cosmia pyralinaMain Street, Kings NewtonSK32Y200427/07/20041Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Cosmia pyralinaMain St,Kings Newton,MelbourneSK32Y200427/07/20041Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Cosmia pyralinaKings Newton FieldsSK32Y200311/07/20031Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Cosmia pyralinaMain Street, Kings NewtonSK32Y200318/07/20031Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Cosmia pyralinaMain St,Kings Newton,MelbourneSK32Y200308/07/20031Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Cosmia pyralinaMain St,Kings Newton,MelbourneSK32Y200318/07/20031Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Cosmia pyralinaStevens Rd, SandiacreSK43T199618/08/19962Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Cosmia pyralinaStevens Rd, SandiacreSK43T199627/08/19963Adultvc57_danes_bc_data

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