73.208 BF2242  –  Noctuidae –  Xyleninae – Xylena exsoleta – Sword-grass – (Linnaeus, 1758) Adult Macro:  CAT 1 – Distinctive species unlikely to be confused with others –       PDF Icon – click for Adult Macro Verification Guidelines

Brown –  Significant Record / Very Rare / Vagrant    
Taxonomy:   Macro   >>  Noctuidae  >> Xyleninae
** Photograph required **
ID Difficulty:  green  – easy to identify, generally distinctive and unlikely to be confused with other species.
Distribution:  (Last record: 23 October 1982 at Barlow )  –  Current status is uncertain – Probably rare resident or rare vagrant. Primarily a moorland and woodland species.
Flight Period: March /  April /  September /  October /  –  September onwards then hibernates and reappears in March – April Moth Activity: Nocturnal  Photographed: No –  Photographed By: Not Recorded
*** Last updated on 2 October 2025 by RP ***
Wingspan: 48-58mm
Forewing: 24-29mm
Food Plant: Dock (Rumex).
Last Recorded Year: 1982
Last Recorded By – RTD – per Harrison & Sterling
Last Recorded General Area – Barlow

Selected Images:  No images



Distribution Map for Xylena exsoleta

Found 2 records
    ↳ 0 from After 2025
    ↳ 0 from 2020 - 2024
    ↳ 2 from Before 2020
Flying
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

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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 – Xylena exsoleta

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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: Xylena exsoleta
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
No data returned from the database.

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


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

Shading shows moth presence between dates

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Recordings By Year: Xylena exsoleta
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Xylena exsoleta
AGR: 0%   |   Total % Change: 0%
Xylena exsoleta
Insufficient records/data for an AGR analysis
Years Analysed: 2000 – 2025
Xylena exsoleta
Insufficient records/data for a CUSUM analysis
Years Analysed: 2000 – 2025

Hectad (10kmx10km) Coverage: Xylena exsoleta
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Xylena exsoleta
( 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 - Xylena exsoleta – 2 records available

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

Site NameTetradDateCountStageSource
Ashbourne (site not precise)SK14T01/01/19111Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Ashbourne (site not precise)SK14T01/01/19111Adultvc57_danes_bc_data

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