73.214 BF2317 – White-spotted Pinion – Cosmia diffinis – (Linnaeus, 1767)
Adult Macro: CAT 3 – Difficult to identify – Quality set of photographs required – 
– click for Adult Macro Verification Guidelines Verification Notes: Last recored 1980 – Set to CAT3
– click for Adult Macro Verification Guidelines Verification Notes: Last recored 1980 – Set to CAT3
– Significant Record / Very Rare / Vagrant
** Photograph required
**
– 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 *** Last updated on 14 January 2026 by TD ***
Forewing: 14-16mm
Last Recorded Year: 1980
Last Recorded By – Not Recorded
Last Recorded General Area – Repton
Selected Images: No images
Image Gallery
No gallery images found for this moth.
Temporal Distribution Chart
Adults: (between 1980 - 2005)
(click legend below to show/hide datasets)
This chart summarises all available historical occurrence records collated by ISO week of the year. It reflects recorder effort and sampling distribution as well as true biological activity, and should be interpreted as an indicative pattern of seasonal occurrence rather than a statistically controlled abundance or phenology model.
Distribution Map for Cosmia diffinis
Found 8 records
↳ from 2026+
↳ from 2020 - 2025
↳ 8 from Before 2020
↳ from 2026+
↳ from 2020 - 2025
↳ 8 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 – 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.
Monthly Records By Year:
Cosmia diffinis
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
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 – 2026
Hectad (10kmx10km) Coverage: Cosmia diffinis
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Cosmia diffinis
Cosmia diffinis
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 - Cosmia diffinis – 8 records available
Listed by Year - descending - scroll across to see all table columns
| Site Name | Tetrad | Date | Count | Stage | Recorder | Source | RecordKey |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Repton (site not precise) | SK32B | 01/06/2005 | 1 | Adult | H.C. Hayward | vc57_danes_bc_data | LC000334001WPFHV |
| Askew Grove, Repton | SK32D | 05/08/1980 | 1 | Adult | D.A. Young | vc57_danes_bc_data | LC000334001OIMX0 |
| Repton (site not precise) | SK32B | 01/01/1979 | 1 | Adult | [VC57 Recorder] | vc57_danes_bc_data | LC000334001TAGDH |
| Melbourne area (site not precise) | SK32X | 01/01/1883 | 1 | Adult | Harpur Crewe;U. Unknown | vc57_danes_bc_data | LC000334001WP37F |
| Derbyshire (site not precise) | SK33L | 01/01/1870 | 1 | Adult | E. Newman | vc57_danes_bc_data | LC000334001WPZ7V |
| Etwall (site not precise) | SK23Q | 01/01/1866 | 1 | Adult | F.M. Spilsbury | vc57_danes_bc_data | LC000334001WPU30 |
| Melbourne area (site not precise) | SK32X | 01/01/1800 | 1 | Adult | VC57 Derbyshire Recorder | vc57_danes_bc_data | LC000334001OLG3Z |
| Derbyshire (site not precise) | SK33L | 01/01/1800 | 1 | Adult | VC57 Derbyshire Recorder | vc57_danes_bc_data | LC000334001OJYHS |