49.01 – BF1009  –  Tortricidae –  Tortricinae – Philedonides lunana – Heath Tortrix – (Thunberg, 1784) Adult Micro:  CAT 2 – Can be confused with other species –       PDF Icon – click for General Verification Guidelines  |   PDF Icon – click for Specific Verification Guidelines
Black – Uncertain/Unknown – Insufficient Data        day-flying – Day-flying
Taxonomy:   Micro   >>  Tortricidae  >> Tortricinae
Other Name/s: Walker’s Lanark Tortrix
ID Difficulty:  green  – easy to identify, generally distinctive and unlikely to be confused with other species.
ID pointers: The males are relatively dull brown, including a diffuse basal patch and have bipectinate antennae, the females have more distinctive chestnut brown markings on a whitish to greyish-buff ground colour.
Distribution:  (Last record: 24 March 2025 at Glossop )  –  Nationally Scarce B – A characteristic species of the gritstone moorlands.Rarely recorded away from this habitat in Derbyshire. But so few modern day records. Would suspect locally common in the recording area on the heather moorlands.
General Comment: None
Flight Period: April /  May –  On the wing during March – May. Moth Activity: Nocturnal  Cathemeral   – occasionally flies on sunny days Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Steve Orridge; Christian Heintzen  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 2 October 2025 by RP ***
Wingspan: 12-19mm
Food Plant: Heather (Calluna), and Bilberry (Vaccinium).
Last Recorded Year: 2025
Last Recorded By – Christian Heintzen
Last Recorded General Area – Glossop

Selected Images:  Buxton, Derbyshire – Steve Orridge© – a female / Glossop area (2025) Christian Heintzen©



Distribution Map for Philedonides lunana

Found 16 records
    ↳ from 2026+
    ↳ 9 from 2020 - 2025
    ↳ 7 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 – Philedonides lunana

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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: Philedonides lunana
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

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


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

Shading shows moth presence between dates

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Recordings By Year: Philedonides lunana
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Philedonides lunana
AGR: 5.91%   |   Total % Change: 181.3%

Hectad (10kmx10km) Coverage: Philedonides lunana
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Philedonides lunana
( 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 2020-2026.

Records Behind the Map and Charts - Philedonides lunana – 16 records available

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

Site NameTetradDateCountStageSource
Leygatehead & Middle Moor above Little HayfieldSK08P11/04/202510adultvc57_irecords_extract
Leygatehead & Middle Moor above Little HayfieldSK08P11/04/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Torside CloughSK09T08/04/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Torside CloughSK09T08/04/20253adultvc57_irecords_extract
Torside CloughSK09T08/04/202520adultvc57_irecords_extract
Ramsley Reservoir , DerbyshireSK27X04/04/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Harewood MoorSK36D31/03/20256adultvc57_irecords_extract
Chunal MoorSK09F24/03/20253adultvc57_irecords_extract
BuxtonSK07T14/04/20211adultvc57_irecords_extract
Combs Moss, BuxtonSK07N20/04/20191Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Beeley Moor, BeeleySK26Y17/05/20111Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
School Close,Parkway Gardens,Darley DaleSK26R04/05/20111Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Wragg's Quarry,Rowsley MoorSK26Y09/05/20091Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Wragg's Quarry,Rowsley MoorSK26Y23/04/20091Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Beeley Moor, BeeleySK26Y08/04/20072Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Slagmill Plantation (bog area), Beeley Moor (site not precise)SK36E11/04/19951Adultvc57_danes_bc_data

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