65.015 BF1660  –  Drepanidae –  Thyatirinae – Polyploca ridens – Frosted Green – (Fabricius, 1787) Adult Macro:  CAT 2 – Can be confused with other species – Good photographs maybe required – Can be confused with other species       PDF Icon – click for Adult Macro Verification Guidelines

Brown –  Significant Record / Very Rare / Vagrant    
Taxonomy:   Macro   >>  Drepanidae  >> Thyatirinae
ID Difficulty:  green  – easy to identify, generally distinctive and unlikely to be confused with other species.
ID pointers: An attractive moth with overall Forest Green ground colour with intricate black markings. Two tufts on top of the head are distinctive.
Distribution:  (Last record: 21 March 2024 at Belper )  –  Current status unknown. Two previous records – 1909 & 1913 and two modern day records both from the same garden in Belper. One 16 April 2023 and one 21 March 2024. Possible small local population re-discovered. Oak (Quercus) is the food plant and so ancient oak woodland is maybe where the moth is still present.
General Comment: None
Flight Period: April /  May –   April – May – one generation Moth Activity: Nocturnal   – and is attracted to light Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Dave Evans  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 14 January 2026 by TD ***
Wingspan: 30-35mm
Forewing: 15-17mm
Food Plant: Pedunculate Oak Sessile Oak and Turkey Oak.
Last Recorded Year: 2024
Last Recorded By – Dave Evans
Last Recorded General Area – Belper

Selected Images:  Belper 16 April 2023 & 21 March 2024 – Belper – Dave Evans ©

 
 


 

Distribution Map for Polyploca ridens

Found 3 records
    ↳ from 2026+
    ↳ 2 from 2020 - 2025
    ↳ 1 from Before 2020
Flying
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

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 – Polyploca ridens

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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: Polyploca ridens
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

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


First/Last Recorded Dates: Polyploca ridens
Adult-only & Anything [Larvae, Pupae, Adult, Mines]

Shading shows moth presence between dates

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Recordings By Year: Polyploca ridens
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Polyploca ridens
AGR: 0%   |   Total % Change: 0%

Hectad (10kmx10km) Coverage: Polyploca ridens
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Polyploca ridens
( 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 2020-2026.

Records Behind the Map and Charts - Polyploca ridens – 3 records available

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

Site NameTetradDateCountStageSource
BelperSK34N21/03/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Belper GardenSK34P16/04/20231adultvc57_irecords_extract
Long Eaton - Marlborough RoadSK43X24/05/20191Adultvc57_irecords_extract

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