– click for Adult Macro Verification Guidelines
– Rare / Uncommon / Scarce 
– Day-flying
– easy to identify, generally distinctive and unlikely to be confused with other species.ID pointers: The moth is fairly straight forward to identify – Notable red patches at the tips of the forewings and a red band around the centre of the abdomen.
Distribution: (Last record: 19 July 2024 at Norton Lees ) – With the increased use of pheromone lures, this species has been recorded more frequently. Several were attracted to pheromone lures at Kings Newton – July 1st & 2nd 2017. Recorded from three sites in 2022 by Melanie Penson during July, with a site near Ilkeston being very productive, with 9 males were attracted using a pheromone lure. In 2023 eight individuals were recorded from three sites.
*** Last updated on 2 October 2025 by RP ***
Males attracted to various pheromone lures
Last Recorded Year: 2024
Last Recorded By – Malcolm Tait
Last Recorded General Area – Norton Lees
Selected Images: Kings Newton, Derbyshire – 1st & 2nd July 2017 – Tony Davison ©
Image Gallery
No gallery images found for this moth.
Distribution Map for Synanthedon formicaeformis
Found 36 records
↳ 7 from After 2025
↳ 18 from 2020 - 2024
↳ 11 from Before 2020
↳ 7 from After 2025
↳ 18 from 2020 - 2024
↳ 11 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.
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 – Synanthedon formicaeformis
⚠️ 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.
Monthly Records By Year:
Synanthedon formicaeformis
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Monthly Counts By Year: Synanthedon formicaeformis
( data is based on 'Adult' stage records only. )
First/Last Recorded Dates: Synanthedon formicaeformis
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: Synanthedon formicaeformis
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Synanthedon formicaeformis
AGR: 5.29% | Total % Change: 85.7%
CUSUM Analysis: Synanthedon formicaeformis
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 16 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 2025, reaching above average levels. The lowest population point occurred near 2019, 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: Synanthedon formicaeformis
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Synanthedon formicaeformis
Synanthedon formicaeformis
( 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 - Synanthedon formicaeformis – 36 records available
Listed by Year - descending - scroll across to see all table columns
| Site Name | Tetrad | Date | Count | Stage | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norton Lees, Sheffield | SK38L | 02/06/2025 | 1 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Blackwell Trail. | SK45I | 28/06/2025 | 4 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Blackwell Trail. | SK45I | 28/06/2025 | 4 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Markham Vale Tip | SK47R | 16/05/2025 | 1 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Markham Vale South Tip , Derbyshire | SK47K | 16/05/2025 | 1 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Forbes Hole LNR, Long Eaton - S | SK43W | 20/05/2025 | 1 | Adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Forbes Hole LNR | SK43W | 20/05/2025 | 1 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Havercroft Road | SK38L | 19/07/2024 | 1 | Adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Norton Lees, Sheffield, UK | SK38L | 26/06/2024 | 1 | Adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Poolsbrook caravan site, Staveley, Derbys. | SK47G | 25/06/2024 | 3 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Pleasley Pit, willows nr visitor centre | SK46X | 10/08/2023 | 5 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Pleasley Pit, willows west of visitor centre | SK46X | 10/08/2023 | 2 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Straws Bridge Pond, Ilkeston | SK44K | 11/07/2023 | 1 | mine (empty) | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Aston-on-Trent- Gravel Pits | SK42J | 06/07/2023 | 1 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Williamthrope Reservoir | SK46I | 18/06/2023 | 3 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Cresswell | SK57G | 22/06/2023 | 2 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Ogston Reservoir | SK36Q | 24/06/2023 | 1 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Straw Bridge Pond | SK44K | 26/07/2022 | 1 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Peewit Carr | SK44K | 26/07/2022 | 1 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Stanton Lagoon | SK43U | 26/07/2022 | 4 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Stanton Lagoon | SK43U | 26/07/2022 | 1 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Stanton Lagoon | SK43U | 26/07/2022 | 4 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Meersbrook | SK38M | 23/06/2021 | 1 | Adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Heanor and Loscoe, UK | SK44I | 24/07/2020 | 1 | Adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Main Street, Kings Newton | SK32Y | 12/07/2020 | 4 | Adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Graves Park, Sheffield SGT, United Kingdom | SK38K | 05/07/2019 | 1 | Adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Graves Park (Chantreyland Meadow), Sheffield | SK38K | 06/07/2019 | 1 | adult | Danes_2019-2021 |
| Havercroft Road | SK38L | 22/06/2019 | 3 | Adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Norton Lees | SK38L | 29/06/2019 | 1 | adult | Danes_2019-2021 |
| Main Street, Kings Newton | SK32Y | 01/07/2017 | 1 | Adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Kings Newton Fields | SK32Y | 02/07/2017 | 2 | Adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Friargate, Derby | SK33N | 16/06/2016 | 1 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Friargate, Derby | SK33N | 16/06/2016 | 1 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Hilton NR, Hilton, Burton on Trent | SK23K | 26/07/2013 | 1 | Adult | vc57_danes_bc_data |
| Willington (meadows), Derby | SK32D | 10/07/1991 | 1 | Adult | vc57_danes_bc_data |
| Willington (meadows), Derby | SK32D | 10/07/1991 | 1 | Adult | vc57_danes_bc_data |