73.214 BF2317  –  Noctuidae –  Xyleninae – Cosmia diffinis – White-spotted Pinion – (Linnaeus, 1767) 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.
ID pointers: A very distinctive and attractive looking moth.
Distribution:  (Last record: 5 August 1980 at Repton )  –  A very rare and locally distributed species in Derbyshire, that seems to be restricted to isolated areas in the south of the county. Dutch elm disease seems to have affected the UK Population. This is the rarest and most attractive of the British cosmia species.No reports since 1980.
General Comment: None
Flight Period: July /  August /  September –  On the wing July – September Photographed: No –  Photographed By: Not Recorded
*** Last updated on 2 October 2025 by RP ***
Wingspan: 29-36mm
Forewing: 14-16mm
Food Plant: English Elm (Ulmus procera) and Wych Elm (Ulmus glabra).
Last Recorded Year: 1980
Last Recorded By – Not Recorded
Last Recorded General Area – Repton

Selected Images:  No images



Distribution Map for Cosmia diffinis

Found 9 records
    ↳ 0 from After 2025
    ↳ 0 from 2020 - 2024
    ↳ 9 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 – Cosmia diffinis

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

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


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

Shading shows moth presence between dates

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

Hectad (10kmx10km) Coverage: Cosmia diffinis
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Cosmia diffinis
( 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 - Cosmia diffinis – 9 records available

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

Site NameTetradDateCountStageSource
Repton (site not precise)SK32B01/06/20051Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Askew Grove, ReptonSK32D05/08/19801Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Repton (site not precise)SK32B01/01/19791Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Melbourne area (site not precise)SK32X01/01/18831Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Derbyshire (site not precise)SK33L01/01/18701Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Etwall (site not precise)SK23Q01/01/18661Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Etwall (site not precise)SK23Q01/01/18661Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Derbyshire (site not precise)SK33L01/01/18001Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Melbourne area (site not precise)SK32X01/01/18001Adultvc57_danes_bc_data

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