Tawny Marbled Minor       Middle-barred Minor
73.175 BF2338  –  Noctuidae –  Xyleninae – Oligia versicolor – Rufous Minor – (Borkhausen, 1792) Adult Macro:  CAT 4 – Dissection required – Dissection required       PDF Icon – click for Adult Macro Verification Guidelines
Blue –  Generally Common / Widespread   
Taxonomy:   Macro   >>  Noctuidae  >> Xyleninae
ID Difficulty:  Red – difficult to identify – detailed examination required, often a Gen Det and/or specimen and quality photographs are required.
Confusion Species: Marbled Minor, Tawny Marbled Minor
ID pointers: Highly variable. A small medium sized moth, along with Marbled and Tawny Marbled Minors, are so difficult to separate, conclusive ID can only be determined by examination of the genitalia. However, Rufous is generally smaller than Marbled, the forewing is slightly broader and more rounded with a gently arched leading edge (costa). Often the oval and kidney marks are pale brown and conspicuous and forewing has pinkish or rosy tinges to otherwise reddish brown ground colour. There is also a reddish brown thoracic crest.
Distribution:  A resident that is common and widely distributed in Derbyshire. Well represented especially in the lowland areas of the county but separation can be difficult from other minors. 
Flight Period: June /  July /  August /  –  On the wing June – August. Moth Activity: Nocturnal  Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Tony Davison, The late Claire Miles  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 2 October 2025 by RP ***
Wingspan: 22-28mm
Forewing: 11-12mm
Recorded dates for Common [Blue code Blue-coded] moths are not stored on the website at this current time.
Selected Images:  The Late Claire Miles © / Tony Davison ©

Rufous Minor - The late Clair Miles
Rufous Minor – 10th July 2022 – Gen Det on Rufous Minor – The late Claire Miles
Rufous Minor - The late Claire Miles
Rufous Minor – 10th July 2022 – Hathersage – The late Claire Miles
Rufous Minor - Noctuidae - Oligia versicolor
Rufous Minor – Tony Davison
Rufous Minor - The late Clair Miles
Rufous Minor - The late Claire Miles
Rufous Minor - Noctuidae - Oligia versicolor


Image Gallery

Rufous Minor - Melbourne Tony Davison ©

Distribution Map for Oligia versicolor

Found 65 records
    ↳ 1 from After 2025
    ↳ 6 from 2020 - 2024
    ↳ 58 from Before 2020
Flying
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

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.

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.


NBN Atlas UK Distribution for – Oligia versicolor

⚠️ 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: Oligia versicolor
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

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


First/Last Recorded Dates: Oligia versicolor
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: Oligia versicolor
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Oligia versicolor
AGR: 1.32%   |   Total % Change: 33.3%


CUSUM Analysis: Oligia versicolor
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 8 (August) 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 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: Oligia versicolor
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Oligia versicolor
( 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 - Oligia versicolor – 65 records available

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

Site NameTetradDateCountStageSource
Allestree, DerbySK33P12/06/20252adultvc57_irecords_extract
Birch ValeSK08I26/07/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Staveley DerbyshireSK47H11/06/20231adultvc57_irecords_extract
SandiacreSK43T23/06/20231adultvc57_irecords_extract
Hathersage, Derbyshire, UKSK28F10/07/20221adultvc57_irecords_extract
SandiacreSK43T19/07/20221adultvc57_irecords_extract
Hathersage, Derbyshire, UKSK28F26/06/20211adultvc57_irecords_extract
Pleasley Pit CP, PleasleySK46X11/06/20173Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Pleasley Pit CP, PleasleySK46X10/06/20172Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Station Quarry, Chee DaleSK17G25/07/20164Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
The Mays,Malthouse Lane,FroggattSK27N13/07/20131Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
The Mays,Malthouse Lane,FroggattSK27N25/07/20131Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
School Close,Parkway Gardens,Darley DaleSK26R12/07/20131Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
The Mays,Malthouse Lane,FroggattSK27N25/07/20131Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
School Close,Parkway Gardens,Darley DaleSK26R12/07/20131Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
The Mays,Malthouse Lane,FroggattSK27N13/07/20131Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Dovedale (Ilam Tops)SK15L10/08/20091Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Dovedale (Ilam Tops)SK15L10/08/20091Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
West Park Meadows (LNR),SpondonSK33Y10/07/20091Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Glossop (Shire Hill Quarry)SK09M22/07/20083Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Melbourne, DerbyshireSK32X24/06/20061adultvc57_irecords_extract
Cross Green Cottages,Flint Lane,South DarleySK26Q23/06/20061Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Back Lane,GlapwellSK46T09/07/20051Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Main St,Kings Newton,MelbourneSK32Y01/07/20056Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
The Mays,Malthouse Lane,FroggattSK27N16/07/20051Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Back Lane, GlapwellSK46T09/07/20051Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
The Mays,Malthouse Lane,FroggattSK27N16/07/20051Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Main St,Kings Newton,MelbourneSK32Y27/06/20058Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Ault Hucknall,GlapwellSK46S07/08/20041Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Pleasley Pit (Hardwick Copse)SK46X07/08/20043Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Pleasley Pit (run-offs)SK46X07/08/20043Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Pleasley Pit (Wetland Wood)SK46X07/08/20041Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Newboundmill Lane,PleasleySK56C18/07/20041Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
The Hollies,Station Rd,Darley DaleSK26R18/07/20041Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Edgecote Drive,Newhall,SwadlincoteSK22V19/07/20041Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Edgecote Drive,Newhall,SwadlincoteSK22V21/07/20042Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Edgecote Drive,Newhall,SwadlincoteSK22V13/07/20041Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
The Hollies,Station Rd,Darley DaleSK26R17/07/20041Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Blackrocks,CromfordSK25X24/07/20042Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Ault Hucknall,GlapwellSK46S28/07/20041Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Edgecote Drive,Newhall,SwadlincoteSK22V27/06/20041Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Edgecote Drive,Newhall,SwadlincoteSK22V29/06/20041Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Melbourne, DerbyshireSK32X09/07/20031adultvc57_irecords_extract
Spinney Hill,MelbourneSK32X09/07/20031Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Kings Newton Fields (farm)SK32Y11/07/20033Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
The Hollies,Station Rd,Darley DaleSK26R21/06/20031Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Ivy Cottage, YoulgreaveSK26C28/07/19981Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Dowey Lumb NR, DronfieldSK38Q25/07/19971Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Dowey Lumb NR, DronfieldSK38Q25/07/19971Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Pond House, Mapperley Res, IlkestonSK44G18/06/19922Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Pond House, Mapperley Res, IlkestonSK44G25/06/19926Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Pond House, Mapperley Res, IlkestonSK44G25/06/19926Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Pond House, Mapperley Res, IlkestonSK44G18/06/19922Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Shardlow Hall, Shardlow, Long EatonSK43F12/07/19841Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Shardlow Hall, Shardlow, Long EatonSK43F05/07/19841Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Shardlow Hall, Shardlow, Long EatonSK43F14/07/19841Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Shardlow Hall, Shardlow, Long EatonSK43F12/07/19841Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Shardlow Hall, Shardlow, Long EatonSK43F14/07/19841Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Shardlow Hall, Shardlow, Long EatonSK43F05/07/19841Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Shardlow Hall, Shardlow, Long EatonSK43F26/06/19841Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Shardlow Hall, Shardlow, Long EatonSK43F24/06/19841Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Shardlow Hall, Shardlow, Long EatonSK43F24/06/19841Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Shardlow Hall, Shardlow, Long EatonSK43F26/06/19841Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Shardlow Hall, Shardlow, Long EatonSK43F17/07/19831Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Shardlow Hall, Shardlow, Long EatonSK43F17/07/19831Adultvc57_danes_bc_data

Tawny Marbled Minor       Middle-barred Minor

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