73.237 BF2252  –  Noctuidae –  Xyleninae – Polymixis flavicincta – Large Ranunculus – ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) 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
ID Difficulty:  green  – easy to identify, generally distinctive and unlikely to be confused with other species.
Distribution:  (First record: 1885 at Derby area )  –  (Last record: 8 October 2023 at Belper )  –  Rare vagrant and last recorded in Derbyshire 1915, prior to Dave Evans remarkable record in 2023. Before Dave’s account, the inclusion of this species on the VC57 list was resting upon 3 records – 1885 from Derby area, 1905 from Long Eaton and 1915 from Coxbench.  
General Comment: None
Flight Period: September /  October –  On the wing September – October  Moth Activity: Nocturnal   – and is attracted to light Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Dave Evans  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 2 October 2025 by RP ***
Wingspan: 40-50mm
Forewing: 17-22mm
Food Plant: A range of herbaceous plants are used by the larvae, including ragwort (Senecio jacobaea) and red valerian (Centranthus ruber). It can be a pest on garden plants
Last Recorded Year: 2023
First Recorded Year: 1885
Last Recorded By – Dave Evans
Last Recorded General Area – Belper

Selected Images:  8th October 2023 Belper – Dave Evans©



Distribution Map for Polymixis flavicincta

Found 4 records
    ↳ 1 from After 2025
    ↳ 3 from 2020 - 2024
    ↳ 0 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 – Polymixis flavicincta

⚠️ 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: Polymixis flavicincta
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

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


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


CUSUM Analysis: Polymixis flavicincta
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 24 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 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: Polymixis flavicincta
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Polymixis flavicincta
( 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 - Polymixis flavicincta – 4 records available

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

Site NameTetradDateCountStageSource
Darwin ForestSK26X09/10/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
BelperSK34U08/10/20231adultvc57_irecords_extract
Belper GardenSK34P07/10/20231adultvc57_irecords_extract
MiddletonSK25S29/06/20211pre-adultvc57_irecords_extract

Scroll to Top