32.009 BF691  –  Depressariidae –  Depressariinae – Agonopterix purpurea – Least Brown – (Haworth, 1811) Adult Micro:  CAT 1 – Distinctive Species –       PDF Icon – click for General Verification Guidelines  |   PDF Icon – click for Specific Verification Guidelines
Brown –  Significant Record / Very Rare / Vagrant    
Taxonomy:   Micro   >>  Depressariidae  >> Depressariinae
Other Name/s: Small Purple Flat-body
ID Difficulty:  amber  – care required in the identification process, as confusion with similar species is likely – quality photographs required.
Confusion Species:  Agonopterix liturosa
/Agonopterix conterminella
ID pointers: A distinctive species, the smallest of the agonopterix genus. Forewing is a dark purplish-brown. A blackish blotch about half way on the costa – broad speckling of black and white and cream
Distribution:  (First record: 23 April 2013 at Pleasley Colliery CP )  –  (Last record: 17 September 2018 at Pleasley Colliery CP )  –  Nationally a relatively localised species mainly in the couth of England. First VC57 record 23/4/2013 from Pleasley Colliery. Then 5/5/2014 & 17/09/2018 – no further records since.Status unknown maybe one localised site in the county.
Flight Period: March /  April /  May /  August /  –  August then hibernates re-appearing in the spring Moth Activity: Nocturnal   – and is attracted to light Photographed: No –  Photographed By: Not Recorded
*** Last updated on 2 October 2025 by RP ***
Wingspan: 11-15mm
Food Plant: Wild Carrot and Cow Parsley
Last Recorded Year: 2018
First Recorded Year: 2013
Last Recorded By – DaNES Journal 169
Last Recorded General Area – Pleasley Colliery CP

Selected Images:  



Distribution Map for Agonopterix purpurea

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

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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 – Agonopterix purpurea

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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: Agonopterix purpurea
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

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


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

Shading shows moth presence between dates

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

Hectad (10kmx10km) Coverage: Agonopterix purpurea
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Agonopterix purpurea
( 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 - Agonopterix purpurea – 1 records available

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

Site NameTetradDateCountStageSource
Drakelow, Derbys.SK22F16/08/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract

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