Delicate       The Clay
73.297 BF2194  –  Noctuidae –  Hadeninae – Mythimna albipuncta – White-point – ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) Adult Macro:  CAT 2 – Can be confused with other species – Can be confused with other species       PDF Icon – click for Adult Macro Verification Guidelines
Green –  Rare / Uncommon / Scarce   
Taxonomy:   Macro   >>  Noctuidae  >> Hadeninae
ID Difficulty:  amber  – care required in the identification process, as confusion with similar species is likely – quality photographs required.
Confusion Species:  The Clay
ID pointers: The confusion species is The Clay, and care needs to be taken in the ID process. A reliable ID indicator is the short and broader wing shape, and a more smaller, stout appearance than The Clay. Varying upper-wing colour of rufous, reddish-brown, or yellowish-brown and on each forewing there is a diagnostic pure white, roughly circular, spot that gives the moth its name of “White-point”. The Clay is only single brooded, late June-early August, and rarely seen beyond mid-August, whereas White-point is double-brooded, flying from May – early June and again Mid-August – October. 
Distribution:  (First record: 15 September 2015 at Belper )  –  (Last record: 25 July 2025 at Rosliston Forest )  –  A new first record date for White-point has materialised from some past record data. Dave Evans recorded one at Belper on 20th September 2015, making this the first one recorded for the VC57 and Derbyshire. Then the next record of White-point for VC57 was at The Mead, Shipley CP, when two were light trapped during a Moth Trap event on 13th July 2019 by Darren Clarke. The third record came from Hathersage, on 22 Oct 2022, recorded by the late Claire Miles. At the time it was thought to be the first county record and Claire was sure it was a White-point, but decided to obtain further confirmation from Jean Haxaire and Martin Honey on the Moth Dissection FB group. A fourth record was taken on 26th August 2023 at High Leas, near Matlock, during a field moth trapping session. Possible range expansion, as numbers turning up in Lincs, Leics and Notts. Several more recorded in 2023 and 2024 including one in my garden trap, Melbourne September 10th 2023 and 2 on 20th September 2024.
Flight Period: August /  September /  October /  –  For many years described as an immigrant to the British Isles, mainly occurring in the south and south-east of England, during  late August to October.  By 2017 its range as a resident in Britain had extended into central southern England and the status of the species was rapidly changing. By August 2021 the species was being recorded more regularly from counties surrounding Derbyshire. It seems that the White-point is gradually extending its range into our county. Moth Activity: Nocturnal  Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Tony Davison, Dave Evans, the late Claire Miles, Steve Thorpe, Neil Ward  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 31 July 2025 by TD ***
Wingspan: 30-35mm
Forewing: 14-17mm Food Plant: Various grasses.
Last Recorded Year: 2025
First Recorded Year: 2015
Last Recorded By – Neil Ward
Last Recorded General Area – Rosliston Forest
IMAGES BELOW:  Melbourne – September 20th 2-24 – Tony Davison / Chaddesden – Sept 2024 – Martin Roome / Melbourne – Sept 2023 – Tony Davison© / Hathersage – the late Claire Miles© – 22/10/22 – Hathersage, Derbyshire / Steve Thorpe© – High Leas 26/8/23 / Rosliston Forest 25/7/25 Neil Ward©

73.297 BF2194 - White-point - Noctuidae - Mythimna albipuncta
White-point – 15th September 215 – Belper – Dave Evans© – 1st record date for this species in VC57
73.297 BF2194 - White-point - Noctuidae - Mythimna albipuncta
White-point – 20th September 2024 – Melbourne – Tony Davison
White-point - Martin Roome
White-point – 3rd September 2024 – Chaddesden – Martin Roome
White-point – Melbourne 10th September 2023 – Tony Davison
73.297 BF2194 - White-point - Noctuidae - Mythimna albipuncta
White-point – Melbourne 10th September 2023 – Tony Davison
73.297 BF2194 - White-point - Noctuidae - Mythimna albipuncta
White-point – High Leas Farm, near Matlock – 26th August 2023 – 2nd county record
73.297 BF2194 - White-point - Noctuidae - Mythimna albipuncta
White-point – Hathersage – 22/10/22 – the late Claire Miles
White-point - Rosliston Forestry Centre Night World Event 25th July 2025 - Neil Ward
White-point – Rosliston Forestry Centre Night World Event 25th July 2025 – Neil Ward
73.297 BF2194 - White-point - Noctuidae - Mythimna albipuncta
73.297 BF2194 - White-point - Noctuidae - Mythimna albipuncta
White-point - Martin Roome
73.297 BF2194 - White-point - Noctuidae - Mythimna albipuncta
73.297 BF2194 - White-point - Noctuidae - Mythimna albipuncta
73.297 BF2194 - White-point - Noctuidae - Mythimna albipuncta
White-point - Rosliston Forestry Centre Night World Event 25th July 2025 - Neil Ward

White-point-Dave-Evans-o_1i8gd2l8pgo21ojl157p1cd1ulb White-point - 15th September 2015 - 1st VC57 record - Belper -Dave Evans©
White-point-_U8A7728-1 White-point - 20th September 2024 - Melbourne - Tony Davison©
White-point-_U8A7728 White-point - 20th September 2024 - Melbourne - Tony Davison©
White-point-_U8A7273 White-point - 20th September 2024 - Melbourne - Tony Davison©
White-point-_U8A7117 White-point - 20th September 2024 - Melbourne - Tony Davison©
White-point 458170416_4037970919759092_1204623745551247871_n White-point - 3rd September 2024 - Chaddesden, Derby - Martin Roome©

Distribution Map for Mythimna albipuncta

Found 27 records
    ↳ 12 from After 2025
    ↳ 14 from 2020 - 2024
    ↳ 1 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 – Mythimna albipuncta

⚠️ 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: Mythimna albipuncta
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

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


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


CUSUM Analysis: Mythimna albipuncta
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 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: Mythimna albipuncta
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Mythimna albipuncta
( 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 - Mythimna albipuncta – 27 records available

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

TaxonSite NameTetradYearDateCountStageSource
Mythimna albipunctaBelper, DerbyshireSK34N202506/08/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Mythimna albipunctaBelperSK34N202511/08/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Mythimna albipunctaBelperSK34U202513/08/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Mythimna albipunctaFindern, DerbyshireSK33A202515/08/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Mythimna albipunctaAston-on-Trent, DerbyshireSK43A202519/08/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Mythimna albipunctaStaveley DerbyshireSK47H202517/08/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Mythimna albipunctasheffieldSK38M202519/08/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Mythimna albipunctaAston-on-Trent, DerbyshireSK43A202525/08/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Mythimna albipunctaAllestree, DerbySK33P202527/08/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Mythimna albipunctahallcroft middletonSK25T202529/08/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Mythimna albipunctaStaveley garden SYASK47H202525/07/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Mythimna albipunctaStaveley garden SYASK47H202525/07/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Mythimna albipunctaChaddesden, DerbySK33T202403/09/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Mythimna albipunctaMelbourne, DerbyshireSK32X202420/09/20242adultvc57_irecords_extract
Mythimna albipunctaKing's NewtonSK32Y202405/09/20243adultvc57_irecords_extract
Mythimna albipunctaupper cromford gardenSK25Y202402/08/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Mythimna albipunctaAmbaston Gravel PitsSK43F202421/08/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Mythimna albipunctaStaveley DerbyshireSK47H202303/09/20231adultvc57_irecords_extract
Mythimna albipunctaMelbourne, DerbyshireSK32X202310/09/20231adultvc57_irecords_extract
Mythimna albipunctaShirland - Hallfieldgate LaneSK35Z202322/09/20231Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Mythimna albipunctaBelperSK34U202326/09/20231adultvc57_irecords_extract
Mythimna albipunctaPark Head, CrichSK35M202303/09/20231adultvc57_irecords_extract
Mythimna albipunctaStonebroomSK45E202314/09/20231adultvc57_irecords_extract
Mythimna albipunctaHigh Leas Farm, RiberSK35D202326/08/20231adultvc57_irecords_extract
Mythimna albipunctaHaddon HallSK26I202310/08/20231adultvc57_irecords_extract
Mythimna albipunctaHathersage, Derbyshire, UKSK28F202222/10/20221adultvc57_irecords_extract
Mythimna albipunctaBelperSK34U201520/09/20151adultvc57_irecords_extract

Delicate       The Clay

Copyright Tony Davison © 2025 www.derbyshiremoths.org

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