Gypsy Moth       Yellow-tail
72.012 BF2029  –  Erebidae –  Lymantriinae – Euproctis chrysorrhoea – Brown-tail – (Linnaeus, 1758) Adult Macro:  CAT 1 – Distinctive species unlikely to be confused with others –       PDF Icon – click for Adult Macro Verification Guidelines
Brown –  Significant Record / Very Rare / Vagrant        orange – Migrant
Taxonomy:   Macro   >>  Erebidae  >> Lymantriinae
ID Difficulty:  green  – easy to identify, generally distinctive and unlikely to be confused with other species.
ID pointers: A fairly distinctive all white moth, that has a slightly silky appearance to the upper-wing surfaces, with a chocolate-brown abdomen in the male and brownish – grey in the female. The female has a brown tuft at the tip of the abdomen. The male has heavily feathered antennae.
Distribution:  (First record: 1882 at Willington )  –  (Last record: 1 July 2025 at Long Eaton )  –  Extremely rare and current status unknown, due to insufficient records. Most likely an immigrant.Harrison & Sterling – First recorded in 1882 larvae found at Willington and in 1902. Between 2014 – 2024 there have been a further 8 records. One Draycott (2014) one Findern (2015) one Kings Newton (2020) one Ambergate (larvae) (2022); Sandiacre (2023) Thulston (Larvae) (2024); Sandiacre (2024) and Kings Newton (2024). It is mainly a coastal species and is rarely seen in inland counties. The possibility of larvae or eggs being carried from coastal sites, where the species is a pest on Sea Buckthorn, cannot be ruled out. One on 27/28th June 2025 & two on 1/7/2025 – Long Eaton both records from same recorder.
Flight Period: July /  August /  –  On the wing July – August. Moth Activity: Nocturnal   – and is attracted to light Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Brian Hallam; Tony Davison/ Archie Braddock  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 26 July 2025 by TD ***
Wingspan: 36-42mm
Forewing: M 16-20mm. F 18-19mm Food Plant: Hawthorn (Crataegus) and blackthorn (Prunus spinosa). Sea Buckthorn.
Last Recorded Year: 2025
First Recorded Year: 1882
Last Recorded By – Archie Braddock
Last Recorded General Area – Long Eaton
IMAGES BELOW:  Findern, Derbyshire  – Tony Davison © and Brian Hallam © / 1/7/2025 – Long Eaton – Archie Braddock©

72.012 BF2029 - Brown-tail - Erebidae - Euproctis chrysorrhoea
Brown-tail – Euproctis chrysorrhoea
72.012 BF2029 - Brown-tail - Erebidae - Euproctis chrysorrhoea
Brown-tail – Euproctis chrysorrhoea
72.012 BF2029 - Brown-tail - Erebidae - Euproctis chrysorrhoea
Brown-tail – Euproctis chrysorrhoea – Brian Hallam
Brown-tail - 1st July 2025 - Archie Braddock
Brown-tail – 1st July 2025 – Archie Braddock
Brown-tail - 1st July 2025 - Archie Braddock
Brown-tail – 1st July 2025 – Archie Braddock
72.012 BF2029 - Brown-tail - Erebidae - Euproctis chrysorrhoea
72.012 BF2029 - Brown-tail - Erebidae - Euproctis chrysorrhoea
72.012 BF2029 - Brown-tail - Erebidae - Euproctis chrysorrhoea
Brown-tail - 1st July 2025 - Archie Braddock
Brown-tail - 1st July 2025 - Archie Braddock

no images were found

Distribution Map for Euproctis chrysorrhoea

Found 16 records
    ↳ 1 from After 2025
    ↳ 6 from 2020 - 2024
    ↳ 9 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 – Euproctis chrysorrhoea

⚠️ Please wait for the map to load fully – do not click the link shown.


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: Euproctis chrysorrhoea
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

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


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


CUSUM Analysis: Euproctis chrysorrhoea
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 21 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 2025, reaching above average levels. The lowest population point occurred near 2024, 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: Euproctis chrysorrhoea
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Euproctis chrysorrhoea
( 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 - Euproctis chrysorrhoea – 16 records available

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

TaxonSite NameTetradYearDateCountStageSource
Euproctis chrysorrhoeaFindern, DerbyshireSK33A202504/07/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Euproctis chrysorrhoeaSandiacreSK43S202409/07/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Euproctis chrysorrhoeaKing's NewtonSK32Y202429/07/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Euproctis chrysorrhoeaThulston, Twiggy's FieldSK43B202414/06/20242larvavc57_irecords_extract
Euproctis chrysorrhoeaSandiacreSK43T202308/07/20231adultvc57_irecords_extract
Euproctis chrysorrhoeaAmbergateSK35K202213/10/20221larvavc57_irecords_extract
Euproctis chrysorrhoeaMain Street, Kings NewtonSK32Y202017/08/20201Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Euproctis chrysorrhoeaFindern, DerbyshireSK33A201530/06/20151adultvc57_irecords_extract
Euproctis chrysorrhoeaDraycottSK43L201401/06/20141not recordedvc57_irecords_extract
Euproctis chrysorrhoeaCalke Park (Poker's Leys), TicknallSK32R199825/07/19986Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Euproctis chrysorrhoeaRamcroft Colliery, Palterton, BolsoverSK46N195427/08/19541Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Euproctis chrysorrhoeaRamcroft Colliery, Palterton, BolsoverSK46N195429/08/19542Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Euproctis chrysorrhoeaRamcroft Colliery, Palterton, BolsoverSK46N195317/07/19533Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Euproctis chrysorrhoeaRamcroft Colliery, Palterton, BolsoverSK46N195102/08/19511Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Euproctis chrysorrhoeaRamcroft Colliery, Palterton, BolsoverSK46N195109/08/19511Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Euproctis chrysorrhoeaRamcroft Colliery, Palterton, BolsoverSK46N195128/07/19511Adultvc57_danes_bc_data

Gypsy Moth       Yellow-tail

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