73.087 BF2385  –  Noctuidae –  Xyleninae – Spodoptera exigua – Small Mottled Willow – (Hübner, 1808) 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        orange – Migrant
Taxonomy:   Macro   >>  Noctuidae  >> Xyleninae
ID Difficulty:  green  – easy to identify, generally distinctive and unlikely to be confused with other species.
ID pointers: Has a distinctive resting posture with its narrow forewings wrapped around its body. The ground colour is a dull grey-brown with a prominent orange oval and kidney marks.
Distribution:  (First record: 1988 )  –  (Last record: 16 August 2025 at Froggatt )  –  A scarce immigrant to Derbyshire. Several trapped in August 2003 during high migrant activity and possibly only one previous record (1988). One recorded on 7th September 2024 at Darley Bridge, during a time of high migrant moth activity on the east coast of England. One trapped at Gnat Hole, Glossop 28/6/2025. One Kings Newton 27th July 2025.One Froggatt 16/8/2025
Flight Period: June /  July /  August /  September /  October /  –  On the wing June – October. Moth Activity: Nocturnal  Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Tony Davison, Stephen Moores, Christian Heintzen, Bryan Barnacle  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 17 August 2025 by TD ***
Wingspan: 26-32mm
Forewing: 13-14mm
Food Plant: Low-lying vegetation.
Last Recorded Year: 2025
First Recorded Year: 1988
Last Recorded By – Bryan Barnacle
Last Recorded General Area – Froggatt

IMAGES BELOW:  Darley Bridge 1st Sept 2024 – Stephen Moores©  /  Melbourne & Kings Newton, Derbyshire – Tony Davison© / Glossop (June 2025) Christian Heintzen© / Kimgs Newton (July2025) Tony Davison© / Froggatt 16/8/25 – Bryan Barnacle©

Distribution Map for Spodoptera exigua

Found 28 records
    ↳ 6 from After 2025
    ↳ 1 from 2020 - 2024
    ↳ 21 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 – Spodoptera exigua

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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.

Visit NBN Site


Monthly Records By Year: Spodoptera exigua
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

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


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


CUSUM Analysis: Spodoptera exigua
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 19 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 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: Spodoptera exigua
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Spodoptera exigua
( 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 - Spodoptera exigua – 28 records available

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

TaxonSite NameTetradYearDateCountStageSource
Spodoptera exiguaParwich, Ashbourne DEQN, UKSK15S202518/08/20251Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Spodoptera exiguaAllestree, DerbySK33P202527/08/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Spodoptera exiguaShirland - Hallfieldgate LaneSK35Z202529/08/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Spodoptera exiguaGlossop, Hague Street, Hay MeadowSK09G202525/07/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Spodoptera exiguaMickleover gardenSK33C202509/07/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Spodoptera exiguaGlossop, Gnat Hole Rough FieldsSK09L202528/06/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Spodoptera exiguaDarley BridgeSK26Q202408/09/20241Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Spodoptera exiguaAult Hucknall,GlapwellSK46S201124/09/20111Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Spodoptera exiguaAult Hucknall,GlapwellSK46S200826/07/20081Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Spodoptera exiguaAult Hucknall,GlapwellSK46S200723/06/20071Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Spodoptera exiguaThe Hollies,Station Rd,Darley DaleSK26R200621/09/20061Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Spodoptera exiguaFar Cross,Cavendish Park,MatlockSK36A200626/08/20061Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Spodoptera exiguaAult Hucknall,GlapwellSK46S200624/07/20061Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Spodoptera exiguaAult Hucknall,GlapwellSK46S200626/07/20062Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Spodoptera exiguaFar Cross,Cavendish Park,MatlockSK36A200629/07/20061Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Spodoptera exiguaAult Hucknall,GlapwellSK46S200305/09/20031Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Spodoptera exiguaMelbourne, DerbyshireSK32X200324/08/20031adultvc57_irecords_extract
Spodoptera exiguaMain Street, Kings NewtonSK32Y200312/08/20031Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Spodoptera exiguaMain Street, Kings NewtonSK32Y200317/08/20031Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Spodoptera exiguaMain Street, Kings NewtonSK32Y200322/08/20031Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Spodoptera exiguaWhitwell Wood (centre area), Whitwell, WorksopSK57J200323/08/20031Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Spodoptera exiguaMain St,Kings Newton,MelbourneSK32Y200312/08/20031Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Spodoptera exiguaMain St,Kings Newton,MelbourneSK32Y200317/08/20031Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Spodoptera exiguaMain St,Kings Newton,MelbourneSK32Y200322/08/20031Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Spodoptera exiguaSpinney Hill,MelbourneSK32X200324/08/20031Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Spodoptera exiguaStevens Rd, SandiacreSK43T199520/08/19951Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Spodoptera exiguaSett Valley Trail, New MillsSK08D198807/09/19881Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Spodoptera exiguaSouth Head Farm, HayfieldSK08S198817/09/19881Adultvc57_danes_bc_data

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