70.238 BF1918  –  Geometridae –  Larentiinae – Selenia lunularia – Lunar Thorn – (Hübner, 1788) Adult Macro:  CAT 2 – Can be confused with other species – Can be confused with other species       PDF Icon – click for Adult Macro Verification Guidelines

Brown –  Significant Record / Very Rare / Vagrant    
Taxonomy:   Macro   >>  Geometridae  >> Larentiinae
** Photograph required **
ID Difficulty:  amber  – care required in the identification process, as confusion with similar species is likely – quality photographs required.
Distribution:  (Last record: 25 July 2022 at Buxton )  –  Last recorded 2022 – A resident that is generally scarce to rare. Recorded very sporadically.
Flight Period: May /  June /  –  May – June – one generation – rarely seen other than at light traps Moth Activity: Nocturnal   – and is attracted to light Photographed: No –  Photographed By: Not Recorded
*** Last updated on 2 October 2025 by RP ***
Wingspan: 38-44mm
Forewing: 16-22mm
Food Plant: Oak (Quercus) and birch (Betula).
Last Recorded Year: 2022
Last Recorded By – Steve Orridge
Last Recorded General Area – Buxton

Selected Images:  No images



Distribution Map for Selenia lunularia

Found 38 records
    ↳ 0 from After 2025
    ↳ 2 from 2020 - 2024
    ↳ 36 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 – Selenia lunularia

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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: Selenia lunularia
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

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


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


CUSUM Analysis: Selenia lunularia
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 20 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 8 (August) 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 2004, reaching above average levels. The lowest population point occurred near 2004, 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: Selenia lunularia
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Selenia lunularia
( 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 - Selenia lunularia – 38 records available

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

Site NameTetradDateCountStageSource
Ladycroft AveSK07S25/07/20221adultvc57_irecords_extract
Findern, Derbyshire, DEAZSK33A19/07/20211adultvc57_irecords_extract
DRONFIELD WOODHOUSESK37J17/07/20171adultvc57_irecords_extract
DRONFIELD WOODHOUSESK37J18/07/20141adultvc57_irecords_extract
Lancaster Ave,SandiacreSK43S10/08/20071Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Newboundmill Lane,PleasleySK56C05/07/20041Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
The Field,Shipley,IlkestonSK44M13/06/19961Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
The Field,Shipley,IlkestonSK44M13/06/19961Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Pond House, Mapperley Res, IlkestonSK44G05/08/19881Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Pond House, Mapperley Res, IlkestonSK44G05/08/19881Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Pond House, Mapperley Res, IlkestonSK44G04/06/19881Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Pond House, Mapperley Res, IlkestonSK44G04/06/19881Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Shipley Wood, Shipley ParkSK44L05/06/19821Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Drummond Rd, IlkestonSK44R13/08/19811Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Askew Grove, ReptonSK32D13/06/19811Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Shardlow Hall, Shardlow, Long EatonSK43F16/05/19801Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Repton (site not precise)SK32B28/05/19801Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Drummond Rd, IlkestonSK44R28/05/19801Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Shardlow Hall, Shardlow, Long EatonSK43F16/05/19801Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Shardlow Hall, Shardlow, Long EatonSK43F06/06/19791Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Carvers Rocks, Hartshorne, SwadlincoteSK32G11/06/19791Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Shardlow Hall, Shardlow, Long EatonSK43F01/06/19791Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Carvers Rocks, Hartshorne, SwadlincoteSK32G19/06/19791Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Shardlow Hall, Shardlow, Long EatonSK43F06/06/19791Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Shardlow Hall, Shardlow, Long EatonSK43F01/06/19791Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Askew Grove, ReptonSK32D20/05/19791Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Repton Shrubs, Repton (site not precise)SK32B12/05/19791Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Shardlow Hall, Shardlow, Long EatonSK43F05/06/19781Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Shardlow Hall, Shardlow, Long EatonSK43F05/06/19781Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Shardlow Hall, Shardlow, Long EatonSK43F31/05/19781Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Shardlow Hall, Shardlow, Long EatonSK43F31/05/19781Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Shardlow Hall, Shardlow, Long EatonSK43F24/06/19771Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Shardlow Hall, Shardlow, Long EatonSK43F24/06/19771Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Atlow Mill, Derbs.SK24J08/10/19763Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Field Close, Hilton, Burton on TrentSK23K06/08/19751Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Wood Lane,Newhall,SwadlincoteSK22V31/05/19741Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Askew Grove, ReptonSK32D31/05/19741Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Askew Grove, ReptonSK32D31/05/19741Adultvc57_danes_bc_data

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