62.062 BF1479 - Pyralidae - Phycitinae - Plodia interpunctella
62.062 BF1479  – Indian Meal moth  – Plodia interpunctella  – (Hübner, 1813)
Adult Micro:  CAT 3 – Very rare or scarce species (includes very scarce adventives/immigrants) – confusion with leaf mines      
PDF Icon – click for General Verification Guidelines  |   PDF Icon – click for Specific Verification Guidelines
Black – Uncertain/Unknown – Insufficient Data   
Taxonomy:   Micro   >>  Pyralidae  >> Phycitinae
ID Difficulty:  green  – easy to identify, generally distinctive and unlikely to be confused with other species.
ID pointers: Quite distinctive and tri-coloured. A dark brown basal patch a central pale yellowish patch and the final two thirds of the forewing dark reddish or rusty-brown with several darker cross-lines running through it. Specimen trapped 20th August 2015.
Distribution:  An imported (adventive) and a potential pest on dried cereals. Found in food warehouses.
General Comment: None
Flight Period: February /  March /  April /  May /  June /  July /  August /  September /  October /  November –  On the wing during February – November. Moth Activity: Nocturnal   – and is attracted to light Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Dave Evans  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 2 October 2025 by RP ***
Wingspan: 14-20mm
Food Plant: Cereals, grains, dried fruits, nuts and dried insect remains.
Last Recorded By – Not Recorded
Last Recorded General Area – Not Recorded

Selected Images:  Belper, Derbyshire – Dave Evans©



Temporal Distribution Chart
Adults: (between 2014 - 2025)
(click legend below to show/hide datasets)
This chart summarises all available historical occurrence records collated by ISO week of the year. It reflects recorder effort and sampling distribution as well as true biological activity, and should be interpreted as an indicative pattern of seasonal occurrence rather than a statistically controlled abundance or phenology model.

Distribution Map for Plodia interpunctella

Found 12 records
    ↳ from 2026+
    ↳ 11 from 2020 - 2025
    ↳ 1 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 – Plodia interpunctella

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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: Plodia interpunctella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Monthly Counts By Year: Plodia interpunctella
( data is based on 'Adult' stage records only )

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

Shading shows moth presence between dates

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

Hectad (10kmx10km) Coverage: Plodia interpunctella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Plodia interpunctella

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 - Plodia interpunctella – 12 records available

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

Site Name Tetrad Date Count Stage Recorder Source RecordKey
Belper SK34U 12/08/2025 1 adult Evans, Dave vc57_irecords_extract iBRC44438784
Belper, Derbyshire SK34N 29/07/2025 1 adult Newcombe, Dave vc57_irecords_extract iBRC44351643
Wingerworth, Derbyshire SK36Y 07/10/2024 1 adult Windle, Jim vc57_irecords_extract iBRC38779109
Dronfield SK37P 22/06/2024 1 Adult La vc57_irecords_extract iBRC36572439
Sandiacre, Derbyshire SK43S 05/04/2024 1 adult paul buxton vc57_irecords_extract iBRC35327810
Allestree, Derby SK33P 12/06/2023 1 not recorded Plant, Stephen vc57_irecords_extract iBRC46330412
Quarndon SK34F 22/05/2023 1 adult Rachael and Dan Iveson-Brown vc57_irecords_extract iBRC30469667
Derbyshire, UK SK26Q 22/12/2022 1 Adult Moores, Stephen vc57_irecords_extract iBRC32890676
Midway, Derbys. SK32A 04/06/2021 1 adult Williams, Michael vc57_irecords_extract iBRC38494151
Midway, Derbys. SK32A 29/03/2021 1 adult Williams, Michael vc57_irecords_extract iBRC38493882
Midway, Derbys. SK32A 16/03/2021 1 adult Williams, Michael vc57_irecords_extract iBRC38493855
Backgarden Marehay SK34Z 07/06/2014 1 adult Thorpe, Steve vc57_irecords_extract iBRC33506431

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