62.012 BF1451  –  Pyralidae –  Phycitinae – Pyla fusca – Dusky Knot-horn – (Haworth, 1811) Adult Micro:  CAT 1 – Distinctive Species –       PDF Icon – click for General Verification Guidelines  |   PDF Icon – click for Specific Verification Guidelines
Green –  Rare / Uncommon / Scarce   
Taxonomy:   Micro   >>  Pyralidae  >> Phycitinae
Other Name/s: Matilella fusca, Brown Knot-horn
ID pointers: Sooty black with finer pale speckling and dusting and two paler cross-lines.
Distribution:  Was Pyla fusca. A species of heathland and moorland and widely distributed across the heather moorland in Derbyshire. Has a habit of resting on burnt heather, where its colouration makes for cryptic camouflage.
Flight Period: May /  June /  July /  August /  –  On the wing during May – August. Moth Activity: Nocturnal   – but can be disturbed during the day Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Steve Orridge  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 2 October 2025 by RP ***
Wingspan: c.26mm
Food Plant: Heather and Bilberry.
Last Recorded By – Not Recorded
Last Recorded General Area – Not Recorded

Selected Images:  Buxton, Derbyshire – Steve Orridge©



Distribution Map for Pyla fusca

Found 16 records
    ↳ 1 from After 2025
    ↳ 7 from 2020 - 2024
    ↳ 8 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 – Pyla fusca

⚠️ 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: Pyla fusca
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

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


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


CUSUM Analysis: Pyla fusca
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 18 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 8 (August) 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 2007, reaching above average levels. The lowest population point occurred near 2004, 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: Pyla fusca
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Pyla fusca
( 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 - Pyla fusca – 16 records available

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

Site NameTetradDateCountStageSource
Wingerworth, DerbyshireSK36Y08/08/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Buxton SK, UKSK07S18/06/20221Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Buxton SK, UKSK07S27/06/20211Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Ladycroft Ave, BuxtonSK07S26/06/20211adultvc57_irecords_extract
Ladycroft Ave, BuxtonSK07S16/07/20201adultvc57_irecords_extract
Buxton SK, UKSK07S07/06/20201Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Birch ValeSK08I15/06/20202adultvc57_irecords_extract
Birch ValeSK08I26/06/20201adultvc57_irecords_extract
Ladycroft Ave, BuxtonSK07S10/07/20191adultvc57_irecords_extract
Ladycroft AveSK07S16/07/20131adultvc57_irecords_extract
Beeley Moor, BeeleySK26Y06/06/20076Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
The Hollies,Station Rd,Darley DaleSK26R20/07/20041Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Deerlands Rd, Ashgate, ChesterfieldSK37K11/07/19921Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Deerlands Rd, Ashgate, ChesterfieldSK37K22/06/19921Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Deerlands Rd, Ashgate, ChesterfieldSK37K15/06/19891Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Newbold Ave, ChesterfieldSK37R22/08/19711Adultvc57_danes_bc_data

Scroll to Top