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– Rare / Uncommon / Scarce
– easy to identify, generally distinctive and unlikely to be confused with other species.ID pointers: Male forewing is rather broad with wing tips blunt, light brownish to brown, sometimes tinted reddish or thinly speckled blackish. Two small dark dots usually present about two thirds along forewing, and others variably scattered. The females are larger than the males and not so well marked, with a more narrow, brown forewing. Can be unmarked or can show a blackish dot at about two thirds. Can show a buff streak along the costa, as in this specimen, and dark shading at the apex of the wing. Extremely long “labial palps”.
Distribution: (First record: 1881 at Repton ) – (Last record: 16 June 2025 at Midway ) – According to the 1986 publication of Micro Moths in Derbyshire by Harrison and Sterling, there was only one record, from Repton in 1881. The first modern day record for the county was on 17th July 2020, when Steve Thorpe trapped one in his garden moth-trap at Breaston. His garden backs onto the Golden Brook Nature Reserve at Breaston, a large area of wetland. Further records came from Steve, with the latest in July 2024. Dan Martin trapped a single specimen at Barlborough on 24th June 2023, which provoked ST to review his previous records. There were 4 in 2021, 1 in 2022, 2 in 2023 & 4 in 2024 from Ambaston, Breaston, Drakelow & Sandiacre.
*** Last updated on 2 October 2025 by RP ***
Last Recorded Year: 2025
First Recorded Year: 1881
Last Recorded By – M.Williams
Last Recorded General Area – Midway
Selected Images: Sandiacre, Derbyshire – Image by Emily Louise Milnes© / Breaston, Derbyshire – Image by Steve Thorpe© / Barlborough, Derbyshire – Image by Dan Martin©
Image Gallery
No gallery images found for this moth.
Distribution Map for Schoenobius gigantella
Found 16 records
↳ 3 from After 2025
↳ 13 from 2020 - 2024
↳ 0 from Before 2020
↳ 3 from After 2025
↳ 13 from 2020 - 2024
↳ 0 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 – Schoenobius gigantella
⚠️ 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.
Monthly Records By Year:
Schoenobius gigantella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Monthly Counts By Year: Schoenobius gigantella
( data is based on 'Adult' stage records only. )
First/Last Recorded Dates: Schoenobius gigantella
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: Schoenobius gigantella
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Schoenobius gigantella
AGR: 0% | Total % Change: 0%
CUSUM Analysis: Schoenobius gigantella
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 20 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 9 (September) 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 2022, reaching above average levels. The lowest population point occurred near 2020, 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: Schoenobius gigantella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Schoenobius gigantella
Schoenobius gigantella
( 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 - Schoenobius gigantella – 16 records available
Listed by Year - descending - scroll across to see all table columns
| Site Name | Tetrad | Date | Count | Stage | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Markham Vale Derbyshire | SK47K | 29/06/2025 | 1 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Midway, Derbys. | SK32A | 16/06/2025 | 1 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Midway, Derbys. | SK32A | 31/05/2025 | 1 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Sandiacre Garden | SK43T | 18/07/2024 | 1 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Woodland Ave | SK43R | 18/07/2024 | 2 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| ambaston gravel pits | SK43F | 17/07/2024 | 1 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Drakelow, Derbys. | SK22F | 07/06/2024 | 1 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Woodland Ave | SK43R | 30/06/2023 | 1 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Barlborough, Derbyshire | SK47T | 24/06/2023 | 1 | Adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Woodland Ave | SK43R | 27/05/2023 | 1 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Woodland Ave | SK43R | 16/07/2022 | 2 | Adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Not given | SK22F | 08/07/2021 | 6 | Adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Woodland Ave | SK43R | 08/07/2021 | 1 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Drakelow, Derbys. | SK22F | 08/07/2021 | 6 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Woodland Ave | SK43R | 02/07/2021 | 1 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Woodland Ave | SK43R | 17/07/2020 | 1 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |