70.172 BF1843 - Thyme Pug - Geometridae - Eupithecia - distinctaria - Rowan Wakefield
70.172 BF1843  – Thyme Pug  – Eupithecia distinctaria  – (Herrich-Schäffer, 1848)
Adult Macro:  CAT 2 – Can be confused with other species – Good photographs may be required – Can be confused with other species      
PDF Icon – click for Adult Macro Verification Guidelines

Green –  Rare / Uncommon / Scarce   
Taxonomy:   Macro  >>.  >>  Geometridae  >> Larentiinae
ID Difficulty:  amber  – care required in the identification process, as confusion with similar species is likely – quality photographs required.
ID pointers: Well patterned with 4 or 5 wavy cross-lines across fore & hind wings. An obvious diagonal black dash in central area of forewing. 
Distribution:  A resident that is scarce to locally common in the limestone dales. Possibly under recorded.
General Comment: None
Flight Period: June /  July –  June – July Moth Activity: Nocturnal  Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Rowan Wakefield  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 2 October 2025 by RP ***
Wingspan: 16-18mm
Food Plant: Thyme (Thymus spp.).
Last Recorded By – Not Recorded
Last Recorded General Area – Not Recorded

Selected Images:  Photo by kind permission of Rowan Wakefield © – Buxton trapped overnight 16th/17th June 2022.



Temporal Distribution Chart
Adults: (between 1984 - 2025)  |  Immatures: (between 1988 - 2001)
(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 Eupithecia distinctaria

Found 17 records
    ↳ from 2026+
    ↳ 8 from 2020 - 2025
    ↳ 9 from Before 2020
Flying
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

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.

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 – Eupithecia distinctaria

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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: Eupithecia distinctaria
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

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

First/Last Recorded Dates: Eupithecia distinctaria
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: Eupithecia distinctaria
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Eupithecia distinctaria
AGR: 1.81%   |   Total % Change: 33.3%

Hectad (10kmx10km) Coverage: Eupithecia distinctaria
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Eupithecia distinctaria

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 - Eupithecia distinctaria – 17 records available

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

Site Name Tetrad Date Count Stage Recorder Source RecordKey
upper cromford garden SK25Y 24/06/2025 2 adult Ashton, Clive vc57_irecords_extract iBRC42672041
upper cromford garden SK25Y 21/06/2025 1 adult Ashton, Clive vc57_irecords_extract iBRC42550515
upper cromford garden SK25Y 08/06/2025 1 adult Ashton, Clive vc57_irecords_extract iBRC42153577
Via Gellia SK25T 24/06/2024 1 adult Ashton, Clive vc57_irecords_extract iBRC36666735
upper cromford garden SK25Y 24/06/2024 1 adult Ashton, Clive vc57_irecords_extract iBRC36667022
Lower Cromford Garden SK25Y 01/07/2023 1 adult Ashton, Clive vc57_irecords_extract iBRC34567762
Ferneydale Avenue SK07Q 18/06/2022 1 adult Wakefield, Rowan vc57_irecords_extract iBRC34946121
Grin Plantation, Buxton SK07L 09/07/2021 1 adult S.A. Orridge, Lindsey and Rowan Wakefield vc57_irecords_extract iBRC35094015
Dovedale SK15K 05/07/2009 1 Adult David Grundy;M.J. Dale vc57_danes_bc_data LC000334001OK1YJ
Dovedale SK15K 05/07/2009 1 Adult David Grundy;M.J. Dale vc57_danes_bc_data LC000334001OKFED
Dovedale SK15K 05/07/2009 1 Adult David Grundy;M.J. Dale vc57_danes_bc_data LC000334001OKFFW
Bonsall Moor, Bonsall SK26V 28/07/2001 40 Larvae B.L. Statham vc57_danes_bc_data LC000334001OHOIW
Coombs Dale (site not precise), Stoney Middleton SK27D 19/08/1988 9 Larvae VC57 Derbyshire Recorder vc57_danes_bc_data LC000334001OIEKS
Coombs Dale (site not precise), Stoney Middleton SK27D 17/08/1988 7 Larvae VC57 Derbyshire Recorder vc57_danes_bc_data LC000334001OIEKL
Dovedale (stepping stones) SK15K 12/06/1986 1 Adult VC57 Derbyshire Recorder vc57_danes_bc_data LC000334001OIRV4
Dovedale (site not precise) SK15K 15/06/1984 1 Adult VC57 Derbyshire Recorder vc57_danes_bc_data LC000334001OIQIE
Dovedale (site not precise) SK15K 02/06/1984 1 Adult VC57 Derbyshire Recorder vc57_danes_bc_data LC000334001OIQGN

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