– click for Adult Macro Verification Guidelines
– Significant Record / Very Rare / Vagrant
– 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 *** Last updated on 2 October 2025 by RP ***
Forewing: 15-17mm
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 ©
Image Gallery
No gallery images found for this moth.
Distribution Map for Polyploca ridens
Found 3 records
↳ 0 from After 2025
↳ 2 from 2020 - 2024
↳ 1 from Before 2020
↳ 0 from After 2025
↳ 2 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.
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
⚠️ 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:
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
Click the colour discs below to Select/De-select as Required
Recordings By Year: Polyploca ridens
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Polyploca ridens
AGR: 0% | Total % Change: 0%
CUSUM Analysis: Polyploca ridens
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 10 (October) 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 2019, 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: Polyploca ridens
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Polyploca ridens
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 2020-2025.
Records Behind the Map and Charts - Polyploca ridens – 3 records available
Listed by Year - descending - scroll across to see all table columns
| Site Name | Tetrad | Date | Count | Stage | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belper | SK34N | 21/03/2024 | 1 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Belper Garden | SK34P | 16/04/2023 | 1 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Long Eaton - Marlborough Road | SK43X | 24/05/2019 | 1 | Adult | vc57_irecords_extract |