Dioryctria simplicella       Phycita roborella
62.028 BF1454  –  Pyralidae –  Phycitinae – Dioryctria abietella – Dark Pine Knot-horn – (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) Adult Micro:  CAT 2 – Confusion Species –       PDF Icon – click for General Verification Guidelines  |   PDF Icon – click for Specific Verification Guidelines
Blue –  Generally Common / Widespread   
Taxonomy:   Micro   >>  Pyralidae  >> Phycitinae
Other Name/s: Pine Knot-horn
ID Difficulty:  amber  – care required in the identification process, as confusion with similar species is likely – quality photographs required.
Confusion Species:  D. abietella
ID pointers: There is considerable uncertainty to the status of the four Dioryctria species in Britain, as they are very difficult to tell apart. In particular, D. abietella and D. simplicella both are associated with pine. There is also some size overlap with D.sylvestrella, both being the largest of the four Dioryctria species. 
Distribution:  A species that has spread into the county due to the commercial planting of Pine, so likely to be common wherever there are Pine plantations.
Flight Period: June /  July /  August /  September /  October /  –  On the wing during June- October. Moth Activity: Nocturnal   – occasionally attracted to light Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Will Soar; Dave Evans  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 26 July 2025 by TD ***
Wingspan: 26-32mm
 Food Plant: Pine (Pinus sylvestris).
Recorded dates for Common [Blue code Blue-coded] moths are not stored on the website at this current time.
IMAGES BELOW:  Kings Newton, Derbyshire – Will Soar © / Belper – Dave Evans©

Dioryctria-abietella - Will Soar
Dioryctria-abietella – Will Soar
62.028 BF1454 - Pyralidae - Phycitinae - Dioryctria abietella
Dioryctria-abietella – Will Soar
62.028 BF1454 - Pyralidae - Phycitinae - Dioryctria abietella
Dioryctria-abietella – Will Soar
62.028 BF1454 - Pyralidae - Phycitinae - Dioryctria abietella
Dioryctria-abietella – Will Soar
Dioryctria abietella - 30th May 2024 - Belper - Dave Evans
Dioryctria abietella – 30th May 2024 – Belper – Dave Evans
Dioryctria abietella- Belper - Dave Evans
Dioryctria abietella- Belper – Dave Evans
Dioryctria-abietella - Will Soar
62.028 BF1454 - Pyralidae - Phycitinae - Dioryctria abietella
62.028 BF1454 - Pyralidae - Phycitinae - Dioryctria abietella
62.028 BF1454 - Pyralidae - Phycitinae - Dioryctria abietella
Dioryctria abietella - 30th May 2024 - Belper - Dave Evans
Dioryctria abietella- Belper - Dave Evans

no images were found

Distribution Map for Dioryctria abietella

Found 43 records
    ↳ 4 from After 2025
    ↳ 19 from 2020 - 2024
    ↳ 20 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.

******* Choose ONLY one at a time, of either Monad, Tetrad or Hectad Distribution - each has it's own set of data. Also, the distribution maps cover ALL recorded data. *******

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.

Land-cover * shows the variety of land-cover within the VC57 area, based on the CORINE (Coordination of Information on the Environment) forty-four thematic classes of land-cover. This will show, to a greater or lesser degree, the number and variety of moths found in different land-cover types. The UK continues to operate within the Copernicus programme, with the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) providing Corine Land Cover (CLC) datasets for the UK and its territories.


NBN Atlas UK Distribution for – Dioryctria abietella

⚠️ 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: Dioryctria abietella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

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


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


CUSUM Analysis: Dioryctria abietella
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 13 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 7 (July) 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 2008, reaching above average levels. The lowest population point occurred near 2007, 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: Dioryctria abietella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Dioryctria abietella
( 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 - Dioryctria abietella – 43 records available

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

TaxonSite NameTetradYearDateCountStageSource
Dioryctria abietellaFindern, DerbyshireSK33A202517/07/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Dioryctria abietellaBelperSK34U202518/07/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Dioryctria abietellaupper cromford gardenSK25Y202527/07/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Dioryctria abietellaLongdendale, Torside willow and larch woodSK09U202513/07/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Dioryctria abietellaSandiacre GardenSK43T202425/10/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Dioryctria abietellaBuxton (w)SK07R202406/08/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Dioryctria abietellaAllestree, DerbySK33P202410/07/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Dioryctria abietellaupper cromford gardenSK25Y202417/07/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Dioryctria abietellaBrockwell Chesterfield , Derbyshire.SK37Q202421/07/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Dioryctria abietellaWingerworth, DerbyshireSK36Y202427/07/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Dioryctria abietellaLadycroft Ave, BuxtonSK07S202414/07/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Dioryctria abietellaSandiacre GardenSK43T202410/07/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Dioryctria abietellaMidway, Derbys.SK32A202418/07/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Dioryctria abietellaWoodland AveSK43R202418/07/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Dioryctria abietellaPark Head, Crich.SK35M202430/06/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Dioryctria abietellaBelperSK34N202430/05/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Dioryctria abietellaWoodland AveSK43R202124/08/20211adultvc57_irecords_extract
Dioryctria abietellaWoodland AveSK43R202102/07/20211adultvc57_irecords_extract
Dioryctria abietellaMain Street, Kings NewtonSK32Y202017/08/20201Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Dioryctria abietellaThe Mays, Malthouse Lane, FroggattSK27N202008/08/20201adultDanes_2019-2021
Dioryctria abietellaFindern, Derbyshire, DEAZSK33A202004/07/20201adultvc57_irecords_extract
Dioryctria abietellaThe Mays, Malthouse Lane, FroggattSK27N202001/07/20201adultDanes_2019-2021
Dioryctria abietellaWoodland AveSK43R202014/06/20201adultvc57_irecords_extract
Dioryctria abietellaBirch ValeSK08I201902/08/20191adultvc57_irecords_extract
Dioryctria abietellaBuxton SK, UKSK07S201917/07/20191Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Dioryctria abietellaLadycroft Ave, BuxtonSK07S201916/07/20191adultvc57_irecords_extract
Dioryctria abietellaThe Old Manse, Ault Hucknall, GlapwellSK46S201322/07/20131Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Dioryctria abietellaThe Mays,Malthouse Lane,FroggattSK27N201215/07/20121Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Dioryctria abietellaWhitesprings Plantation, Darley DaleSK26X201125/06/20111Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Dioryctria abietellaRobin WoodSK32M200803/08/200811Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Dioryctria abietellaRobin Wood (central area)SK32M200804/08/20082Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Dioryctria abietellaMelbourne, DerbyshireSK32X200804/07/20081adultvc57_irecords_extract
Dioryctria abietellaSpinney Hill,MelbourneSK32X200804/07/20081Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Dioryctria abietellaMidway Rd,Midway,SwadlincoteSK32A200827/06/20081Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Dioryctria abietellaCalke Park Ticknall Lime YardsSK32R200703/08/20071adultvc57_irecords_extract
Dioryctria abietellaTicknall Limeyards,TicknallSK32R200703/08/20071Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Dioryctria abietellaFar Cross,Cavendish Park,MatlockSK36A200723/08/20072Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Dioryctria abietellaCalke Park Meadow and LimesSK32R200708/07/20071adultvc57_irecords_extract
Dioryctria abietellaCalke Park,TicknallSK32R200706/07/20071Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Dioryctria abietellaThe Hollies,Station Rd,Darley DaleSK26R200709/06/20071Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Dioryctria abietellaEdgecote Drive,Newhall,SwadlincoteSK22V200621/09/20061Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Dioryctria abietellaThe Hollies,Station Rd,Darley DaleSK26R200404/08/20041Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Dioryctria abietellaMain Street, Kings NewtonSK32Y200318/07/20031Adultvc57_irecords_extract

Dioryctria simplicella       Phycita roborella

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