– click for Adult Macro Verification Guidelines
– Rare / Uncommon / Scarce
– easy to identify, generally distinctive and unlikely to be confused with other species.ID pointers: A small and delicate looking moth, that is cream-coloured with very broad and rounded, slightly translucent wings. The forewing has a small and noticeable dark central dot and usually two rows of dark spots or dashes.
Distribution: (Last record: 1 July 2025 at Glossop ) – Lastest record in 2024 – A new species for Derbyshire in 2016 when one was recorded in a garden trap in Belper. The record was submitted but never published. Steve Thorpe trapped a single individual in his garden moth trap at Breaston on 30th June 2020, then a further 19 in 2021, and a further 3 in 2022, all from the same site. Another single individual by Steve at Breaston overnight on 30th June 2023 and another from a garden moth trap in Sandiacre late June 2023. Steve’s garden backs onto Golden Brook Nature Reserve at Breaston, clearly this is a “Hotspot” for this species, and maybe the main site in the county.
*** Last updated on 2 October 2025 by RP ***
Forewing: 10-11mm
Last Recorded Year: 2025
Last Recorded By – Christian Heintzen
Last Recorded General Area – Glossop
Selected Images: Breaston 2020 and Breaston 2023 – By Steve Thorpe © / Glossop 1/7/2025 – Christian Heintzen©
Image Gallery
No gallery images found for this moth.
Distribution Map for Thumatha senex
Found 24 records
↳ 3 from After 2025
↳ 18 from 2020 - 2024
↳ 3 from Before 2020
↳ 3 from After 2025
↳ 18 from 2020 - 2024
↳ 3 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 – Thumatha senex
⚠️ 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:
Thumatha senex
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Monthly Counts By Year: Thumatha senex
( data is based on 'Adult' stage records only. )
First/Last Recorded Dates: Thumatha senex
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: Thumatha senex
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Thumatha senex
AGR: -8.1% | Total % Change: -66.7%
CUSUM Analysis: Thumatha senex
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 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 2021, 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: Thumatha senex
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Thumatha senex
Thumatha senex
( 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 - Thumatha senex – 24 records available
Listed by Year - descending - scroll across to see all table columns
| Site Name | Tetrad | Date | Count | Stage | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chaddesden, Derby | SK33T | 11/07/2025 | 1 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Chaddesden Garden | SK33T | 19/06/2025 | 1 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Glossop, Hague Street, Hay Meadow | SK09G | 29/06/2025 | 1 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Buxton SK, UK | SK07S | 10/07/2023 | 1 | Adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Woodland Ave | SK43R | 07/07/2023 | 2 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Sandiacre | SK43T | 08/07/2023 | 2 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Ladycroft Ave | SK07S | 09/07/2023 | 1 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Woodland Ave | SK43R | 23/06/2023 | 1 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Woodland Ave | SK43R | 30/06/2023 | 7 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Sandiacre | SK43T | 25/06/2023 | 1 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Jim Mart Nature Reserve | SK36S | 24/06/2023 | 1 | Adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Woodland Ave | SK43R | 16/07/2022 | 1 | Adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Woodland Ave | SK43R | 19/07/2022 | 1 | Adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Woodland Ave | SK43R | 25/06/2022 | 1 | Adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Not given | SK22F | 08/07/2021 | 3 | Adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Woodland Ave | SK43R | 08/07/2021 | 4 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Woodland Ave | SK43R | 18/07/2021 | 8 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Woodland Ave | SK43R | 20/07/2021 | 7 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Drakelow, Derbys. | SK22F | 08/07/2021 | 3 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Buxton SK, UK | SK07S | 01/08/2020 | 1 | Adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Woodland Ave | SK43R | 30/06/2020 | 1 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Findern Close, Belper | SK34P | 24/07/2012 | 3 | Adult | vc57_danes_bc_data |
| Ashbourne (site not precise) | SK14T | 01/01/1911 | 1 | Adult | vc57_danes_bc_data |
| Ashbourne (site not precise) | SK14T | 01/01/1911 | 1 | Adult | vc57_danes_bc_data |