62.047 BF1461  –  Pyralidae –  Phycitinae – Assara terebrella – Dark Spruce Knot-horn – (Zincken, 1818) Adult Micro:  CAT 2 – Can be confused with other species –       PDF Icon – click for General Verification Guidelines  |   PDF Icon – click for Specific Verification Guidelines
Brown –  Significant Record / Very Rare / Vagrant    
Taxonomy:   Micro   >>  Pyralidae  >> Phycitinae
ID Difficulty:  green  – easy to identify, generally distinctive and unlikely to be confused with other species.
ID pointers: A distinctive moth with the forewing a reddish-brown ground colour with 2 discal spots, conspicuous whitish markings and a zig-zag cross-line at about half way and another at the inner wing apex.
Distribution:  (First record: 26 June 2021 at Breaston )  –  (Last record: 18 July 2025 at Cromford )  –  One record from Breaston 26th June 2021 , first record for VC57 & Derbyshire.(iRecord) . The second record was from Cromford on 18th July 2025.
General Comment: None
Flight Period: June /  July /  August Moth Activity: Cathemeral   – and is attracted to light Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Steve Thorpe, Clive Ashton   © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 2 October 2025 by RP ***
Wingspan: 22-25mm
Food Plant: Found in Spruce plantations, particularly Norway Spruce
Last Recorded Year: 2025
First Recorded Year: 2021
Last Recorded By – Clive Ashton
Last Recorded General Area – Cromford

Selected Images:  

Breaston (2021) 1st VC57 & Derbyshire record – Steve Thorpe© / 2nd VC57 & Derbyshire, Cromford (2025) Clive Ashton©



Distribution Map for Assara terebrella

Found 3 records
    ↳ from 2026+
    ↳ 3 from 2020 - 2025
    ↳ 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 – Assara terebrella

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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: Assara terebrella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

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


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

Shading shows moth presence between dates

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Recordings By Year: Assara terebrella
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Assara terebrella
AGR: 0%   |   Total % Change: 0%

Hectad (10kmx10km) Coverage: Assara terebrella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Assara terebrella
( 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 - Assara terebrella – 3 records available

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

Site NameTetradDateCountStageSource
Norton Lees, SheffieldSK38L28/07/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
upper cromford gardenSK25Y18/07/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Woodland AveSK43R26/06/20211adultvc57_irecords_extract

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