35.049 BF780  –  Gelechiidae –  Anomologinae – Bryotropha similis – Obscure Moss-moth – Stainton, 1854) Adult Micro:  CAT 4 – Gen. Det. Required – Gen-Det-Reqd       PDF Icon – click for General Verification Guidelines  |   PDF Icon – click for Specific Verification Guidelines
Brown –  Significant Record / Very Rare / Vagrant    
Taxonomy:   Micro   >>  Gelechiidae  >> Anomologinae
** Identification write up and photograph required **
Other Name/s: Obscure Neb
ID Difficulty:  Red – difficult to identify – detailed examination required, often a Gen Det and/or specimen and quality photographs are required.
Confusion Species: Bryotropha affinis (Dark Moss-moth); Bryotropha senectella (Grizzled Moss-moth)
Distribution:  (Last record: 20 July 2021 at Buxton )  –  Significant record; Dovedale 1929 (Harrison & Sterling); Biggin Dale 6/7/2010; 10/6/2012 Ripley (DaNES) ; 20/7/2021 Buxton a possible.
Flight Period: June /  July /  August /  Moth Activity: Cathemeral   – and is attracted to light Photographed: No –  Photographed By: Not Recorded
*** Last updated on 6 May 2025 by RP ***
Wingspan: 10-13mm
Food Plant: Mosses
Last Recorded Year: 2021
Last Recorded By – iRecord
Last Recorded General Area – Buxton

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Distribution Map for Bryotropha similis

Found 4 records
    ↳ 1 from After 2025
    ↳ 1 from 2020 - 2024
    ↳ 2 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 – Bryotropha similis

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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: Bryotropha similis
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

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


First/Last Recorded Dates: Bryotropha similis
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: Bryotropha similis
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Bryotropha similis
AGR: 4.73%   |   Total % Change: 100%


CUSUM Analysis: Bryotropha similis
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 22 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 2021, 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: Bryotropha similis
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Bryotropha similis
( 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 - Bryotropha similis – 4 records available

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

TaxonSite NameTetradYearDateCountStageSource
Bryotropha similisShaw Farm, New Mills VCSJ98Y202512/08/20252adultvc57_irecords_extract
Bryotropha similisLadycroft Ave, BuxtonSK07S202120/07/20211adultvc57_irecords_extract
Bryotropha similisBamford St,RipleySK34Z201210/06/20121Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Bryotropha similisBiggin Dale, nr HartingtonSK15P201006/07/20101Adultvc57_danes_bc_data

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