49.015 – BF980  –  Tortricidae –  Tortricinae – Archips xylosteana – Variegated Golden Tortrix – (Linnaeus, 1758) Adult Micro:  CAT 2 – Confusion Species –       PDF Icon – click for General Verification Guidelines  |   PDF Icon – click for Specific Verification Guidelines
Green –  Rare / Uncommon / Scarce   
Taxonomy:   Micro   >>  Tortricidae  >> Tortricinae
ID Difficulty:  green  – easy to identify, generally distinctive and unlikely to be confused with other species.
ID pointers: Forewing is pale yellowish-brown, sometimes darker, suffused greyish brown, with reddish-brown markings, including a dark bar from the dorsum near the base, and an oblique cross-band at about a half.
Distribution:  (Last record: 27 June 2024 at Chaddesden, Derby )  –  A handful of annual records would indicate that this is generally an uncommon Tortrix in the county. Appears to be only eight records since 1956. Favours woodland.
Flight Period: June /  July /  August /  –  On the wing during May – August. Moth Activity: Nocturnal  Crepuscular   – active from dusk and attracted to light Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Steve Orridge  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 7 May 2025 by RP ***
Wingspan: 15-23mm
Food Plant: Range of deciduous trees and shrubs.
Last Recorded Year: 2024
Last Recorded By – Martin Roome
Last Recorded General Area – Chaddesden, Derby

IMAGES BELOW:  Buxton, Derbyshire – Steve Orridge©

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Distribution Map for Archips xylosteana

Found 21 records
    ↳ 3 from After 2025
    ↳ 8 from 2020 - 2024
    ↳ 10 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 – Archips xylosteana

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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: Archips xylosteana
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

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


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


CUSUM Analysis: Archips xylosteana
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 18 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 2023, 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: Archips xylosteana
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Archips xylosteana
( 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 - Archips xylosteana – 21 records available

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

TaxonSite NameTetradYearDateCountStageSource
Archips xylosteanaDarwin ForestSK26X202504/07/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Archips xylosteanaNorton Lees, SheffieldSK38L202518/06/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Archips xylosteanaFindern, DerbyshireSK33A202513/06/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Archips xylosteanaMickleover gardenSK33C202421/06/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Archips xylosteanaSouth WoodSK31U202427/06/20245adultvc57_irecords_extract
Archips xylosteanaHavercroft RoadSK38L202425/06/20241Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Archips xylosteanaBuxton SK, UKSK07S202326/06/20231Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Archips xylosteanaLadycroft AveSK07S202325/06/20231adultvc57_irecords_extract
Archips xylosteanaSandiacre, Longmoor LaneSK43T202217/06/20221adultvc57_irecords_extract
Archips xylosteanaBelperSK34U202103/07/20211adultvc57_irecords_extract
Archips xylosteanaHavercroft RoadSK38L202103/07/20211Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Archips xylosteanaThe Hollies,Station Rd,Darley DaleSK26R201005/09/20101Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Archips xylosteanaDovedale, Lin DaleSK15K201015/08/20101adultvc57_irecords_extract
Archips xylosteanaDovedale (Lin Dale)SK15K201015/08/20101Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Archips xylosteanaRose Av,ClowneSK57D201022/07/20101Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Archips xylosteanaRose Av,ClowneSK57D201021/07/20101Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Archips xylosteanaThe Hollies,Station Rd,Darley DaleSK26R200925/09/20091Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Archips xylosteanaThe Hollies,Station Rd,Darley DaleSK26R200926/09/20093Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Archips xylosteanaBristol Rd,IlkestonSK44R200926/06/20091Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Archips xylosteanaEdgecote Drive,Newhall,SwadlincoteSK22V200409/06/20041Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Archips xylosteanaDowey Lumb NR, DronfieldSK38Q199725/07/19971Adultvc57_danes_bc_data

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