70.287 BF1964  –  Geometridae –  Larentiinae – Charissa obscurata – The Annulet – ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) Adult Macro:  CAT 1 – Distinctive species unlikely to be confused with others –       PDF Icon – click for Adult Macro Verification Guidelines

Green –  Rare / Uncommon / Scarce   
Taxonomy:   Macro   >>  Geometridae  >> Larentiinae
ID Difficulty:  green  – easy to identify, generally distinctive and unlikely to be confused with other species.
ID pointers: Very variable in colour, with ground colour matching the soil or rocks in habitat. Markings consistent. Very scalloped fringes to fore & hind-wings. Also a very jagged central cross-line on fore & hind-wing and a “hollow” circle in central area on both wings.
Distribution:  (Last record: 7 August 2025 at Matlock )  –  A resident that is uncommon and locally distributed in Derbyshire. Seems confined to the Carboniferous Limestone areas of the county, with majority of sightings coming from the NW.
Flight Period: July /  August /  –  July – August  Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Rowan Wakefield  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 13 August 2025 by TD ***
Wingspan: 27-32mm
Forewing: 15-18mm
Food Plant: Heather (Calluna).
Last Recorded Year: 2025
Last Recorded By – Dan Martin
Last Recorded General Area – Matlock

IMAGES BELOW:  Photo by kind permission of Rowan Wakefield – during the day in a limestone dale, Buxton – 08/07/2021

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Distribution Map for Charissa obscurata

Found 32 records
    ↳ 1 from After 2025
    ↳ 0 from 2020 - 2024
    ↳ 31 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 – Charissa obscurata

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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: Charissa obscurata
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

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


First/Last Recorded Dates: Charissa obscurata
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: Charissa obscurata
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Charissa obscurata
AGR: -2.85%   |   Total % Change: -50%


CUSUM Analysis: Charissa obscurata
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 15 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 2016, reaching above average levels. The lowest population point occurred near 2025, 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: Charissa obscurata
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Charissa obscurata
( 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 - Charissa obscurata – 32 records available

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

TaxonSite NameTetradYearDateCountStageSource
Charissa obscurataMatlock, DerbyshireSK26V202508/08/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Charissa obscurataHoe Grange QuarrySK25I201920/07/20191adultvc57_irecords_extract
Charissa obscurataDerbyshire, UKSK25I201820/07/20181Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Charissa obscurataMillers Dale (quarry)SK17G201715/07/20171Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Charissa obscurataStation Quarry, Chee DaleSK17G201625/07/20163Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Charissa obscurataHartington (station quarry)SK16K201501/08/20151Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Charissa obscurataHartington (station quarry)SK16K201501/08/20151Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Charissa obscurataDovedaleSK15K201101/08/201110Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Charissa obscurataDovedaleSK15K201101/08/20113Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Charissa obscurataDovedaleSK15K201101/08/20111Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Charissa obscurataDovedaleSK15K201129/08/20111Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Charissa obscurataDovedaleSK15K201101/08/20116Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Charissa obscurataDovedaleSK15K201101/08/20111Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Charissa obscurataDovedaleSK15K201101/08/20112Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Charissa obscurataDovedaleSK15K201111/07/20111Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Charissa obscurataDovedaleSK15K201019/09/20101Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Charissa obscurataDovedaleSK15K201030/07/20104Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Charissa obscurataDovedaleSK15K201030/07/20103Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Charissa obscurataDovedaleSK15K201025/07/20101Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Charissa obscurataDovedaleSK15K201030/07/20101Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Charissa obscurataDovedaleSK15K201030/07/20101Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Charissa obscurataDovedale (stepping stones)SK15K201030/07/20101Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Charissa obscurataDovedaleSK15K201025/07/20101Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Charissa obscurataDovedaleSK15K201025/07/20103Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Charissa obscurataClough Wood,Darley DaleSK26K200908/08/20091Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Charissa obscurataDovedaleSK15K200905/07/20091Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Charissa obscurataDovedaleSK15K200905/07/20091Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Charissa obscurataDovedaleSK15K200905/07/20092Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Charissa obscurataDovedaleSK15K200905/07/20091Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Charissa obscurataDovedaleSK15K200905/07/20091Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Charissa obscurataBuxton (Station Quarry)SK17G200721/07/20074Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Charissa obscurataBonsall Moor, BonsallSK25T200128/07/20012Adultvc57_danes_bc_data

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