Scrobipalpa artemisiella       Caryocolum viscariella
35.123 BF819  –  Gelechiidae –  Gelechiinae – Scrobipalpa costella – Bittersweet Moth – (Humphreys & Westwood, 1845) Adult Micro:  CAT 1 – Distinctive Species –       PDF Icon – click for General Verification Guidelines  |   PDF Icon – click for Specific Verification Guidelines
Green –  Rare / Uncommon / Scarce   
Taxonomy:   Micro   >>  Gelechiidae  >> Gelechiinae
Other Name/s: Winter Groundling
ID Difficulty:  green  – easy to identify, generally distinctive and unlikely to be confused with other species.
ID pointers: Forewing a yellowish-brown or reddish-brown with a large dark brown almost triangular shaped blotch about half way along the leading edge of the wing.
Distribution:  (Last record: 4 August 2023 at Waingrove Woods, Ripley )  –  Localised with only around five sites where it has been recorded in the county. A species that should be found where there is Woody Nightshade (Bittersweet).
Flight Period: January /  February /  September /  October /  November /  December /  –  On the wing in September onwards. Overwinters as an adult. Moth Activity: Nocturnal   – and is attracted to light Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Dave Evans  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 6 May 2025 by RP ***
Wingspan: 12-14mm
 Food Plant: Bittersweet
Last Recorded Year: 2023
Last Recorded By – Steve Thorpe
Last Recorded General Area – Waingrove Woods, Ripley
IMAGES BELOW:  Belper, Derbyshire – Dave Evans ©

Scrobipalpa costella
Scrobipalpa costella – Dave Evans
Scrobipalpa costella

 
 

no images were found

Distribution Map for Scrobipalpa costella

Found 31 records
    ↳ 3 from After 2025
    ↳ 6 from 2020 - 2024
    ↳ 22 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 – Scrobipalpa costella

⚠️ 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: Scrobipalpa costella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

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


First/Last Recorded Dates: Scrobipalpa costella
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: Scrobipalpa costella
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Scrobipalpa costella
AGR: -4.87%   |   Total % Change: -66.7%


CUSUM Analysis: Scrobipalpa costella
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 11 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 2003, 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: Scrobipalpa costella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Scrobipalpa costella
( 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 - Scrobipalpa costella – 31 records available

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

TaxonSite NameTetradYearDateCountStageSource
Scrobipalpa costellaBelperSK34N202507/08/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Scrobipalpa costellasheffieldSK38M202517/08/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Scrobipalpa costellasheffieldSK38M202529/05/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Scrobipalpa costellaDrakelow, Derbys.SK22F202422/07/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Scrobipalpa costellaWaingroves WoodsSK44E202304/08/20231adultvc57_irecords_extract
Scrobipalpa costellaWoodland AveSK43R202105/11/20211adultvc57_irecords_extract
Scrobipalpa costellaWoodland AveSK43R202123/10/20211adultvc57_irecords_extract
Scrobipalpa costellaMain Street, Kings NewtonSK32Y202123/10/20211Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Scrobipalpa costellaWoodland AveSK43R202124/08/20211adultvc57_irecords_extract
Scrobipalpa costellaBelperSK34N201925/05/20191adultvc57_irecords_extract
Scrobipalpa costellaMain Street, Kings NewtonSK32Y201808/06/20181Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Scrobipalpa costellaMain Street, Kings NewtonSK32Y201618/07/20161Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Scrobipalpa costellaMain Street, Kings NewtonSK32Y201321/08/20131Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Scrobipalpa costellaBamford St,RipleySK34Z201214/08/20121Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Scrobipalpa costellaRose Av,ClowneSK57D201005/06/20101Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Scrobipalpa costellaMain Street, Kings NewtonSK32Y200818/08/20081Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Scrobipalpa costellaMidway Rd,Midway,SwadlincoteSK32A200825/07/20081Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Scrobipalpa costellaMidway Rd,Midway,SwadlincoteSK32A200831/05/20081Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Scrobipalpa costellaDrakelow NR,Burton on TrentSK22F200706/10/20071Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Scrobipalpa costellaMidway Rd,Midway,SwadlincoteSK32A200701/09/20071Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Scrobipalpa costellaCalke Park Ridge from Fisherman's Car ParkSK32R200724/04/20071adultvc57_irecords_extract
Scrobipalpa costellaCalke Park,TicknallSK32R200724/04/20071Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Scrobipalpa costellaMain Street, Kings NewtonSK32Y200615/09/20061Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Scrobipalpa costellaMain St,Kings Newton,MelbourneSK32Y200615/09/20061Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Scrobipalpa costellaEdgecote Drive,Newhall,SwadlincoteSK22V200429/10/20041Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Scrobipalpa costellaMain Street, Kings NewtonSK32Y200413/08/20041Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Scrobipalpa costellaMain St,Kings Newton,MelbourneSK32Y200413/08/20041Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Scrobipalpa costellaEdgecote Drive,Newhall,SwadlincoteSK22V200411/02/20041Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Scrobipalpa costellaEdgecote Drive,Newhall,SwadlincoteSK22V200411/02/20041Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Scrobipalpa costellaChunnal Moor (Gnat Hole Wood), GlossopSK09G200324/08/20033Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Scrobipalpa costellaActon Rd Ind Est, Long EatonSK43W199525/07/19951Adultvc57_danes_bc_data

 
Scrobipalpa artemisiella       Caryocolum viscariella

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