73.164 BF2323  –  Noctuidae –  Xyleninae – Apamea sublustris – Reddish Light Arches – (Esper, 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   >>  Noctuidae  >> Xyleninae
ID Difficulty:  amber  – care required in the identification process, as confusion with similar species is likely – quality photographs required.
Confusion Species:  Pale Clouded-bordered Brindle
ID pointers: A shorter, broader and less pointed wing than Light Arches. Not so long in the body. Diagnostic reddish-brown wedges on outer edge of forewing and a short, evenly thickened solid brown bar. Has some resemblance to a pale Clouded-bordered Brindle.
Distribution:  (Last record: 30 June 2023 at Sandiacre )  –  A quite remarkable record of a Reddish Light Arches was trapped overnight, 30th June/1st July 2023, in a garden moth trap in Sandiacre, just inside the Derbyshire border. Unfortunately, for the finder of this record, an earlier observation has been discovered (on iRecord), with one from Wirksworth on 17th June 2023. These are the first modern day county records to be published, to my knowledge, since 1910. It was thought to be extinct in the county, so either we now have several extremely localised populations, or, could these observations refer to migrants, or maybe this species is spreading into our county from other nearby areas? In any event, two superb accounts for our county Macro Moths List. Many thanks to Emily Louise Milnes for letting me see and photograph her moth on the afternoon of 1st July 2023. 
Flight Period: June /  July /  –  June – July Moth Activity: Nocturnal  Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Emily Louise Milnes  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 21 July 2025 by WS ***
Wingspan: 42-48mm
Forewing: 18-21mm
Food Plant: Unknown.
Last Recorded Year: 2023
Last Recorded By – Emily Milnes
Last Recorded General Area – Sandiacre

IMAGES BELOW:  Many thanks to Emily Louise Milnes for inviting me to her Sandiacre garden to photograph this specimen. 1st July 2023.

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Distribution Map for Apamea sublustris

Found 12 records
    ↳ 3 from After 2025
    ↳ 2 from 2020 - 2024
    ↳ 7 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 – Apamea sublustris

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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: Apamea sublustris
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

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


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


CUSUM Analysis: Apamea sublustris
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 23 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 2023, 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: Apamea sublustris
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Apamea sublustris
( 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 - Apamea sublustris – 12 records available

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

TaxonSite NameTetradYearDateCountStageSource
Apamea sublustrismy gardenSK36U202520/06/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Apamea sublustrisupper cromford gardenSK25Y202523/06/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Apamea sublustrisIngleby Ave, DerbySK33L202530/06/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Apamea sublustrisGardenSK43T202301/07/20231adultvc57_irecords_extract
Apamea sublustrisMiddleton by WirksworthSK25T202317/06/20231adultvc57_irecords_extract
Apamea sublustrisRepton (site not precise)SK32B201005/07/20101Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Apamea sublustrisRepton (site not precise)SK32B191005/07/19101Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Apamea sublustrisPoolsbrook, Staveley (site not precise)SK47G190625/06/19061Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Apamea sublustrisMelbourne area (site not precise)SK32X188301/01/18831Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Apamea sublustrisWillington (Potlock Covert), DerbySK32E186601/01/18661Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Apamea sublustrisWillington (Potlock Covert), DerbySK32E186601/01/18661Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Apamea sublustrisMelbourne area (site not precise)SK32X180001/01/18001Adultvc57_danes_bc_data

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