– click for Adult Macro Verification Guidelines
– Significant Record / Very Rare / Vagrant
– care required in the identification process, as confusion with similar species is likely – quality photographs required. Confusion Species: Engrailed
ID pointers: In common with many members of the family, this moth is quite variable and has a tendency to melanism. Well-marked individuals are quite easy to identify from the dark square spot on the forewing which gives rise to its English name. The confusion species, Engrailed, has the square-like blotch set away from the ‘W’ mark on outer edge on forewing, whereas on Square Spot it touches the ‘W’ mark on outer edge. Also contrasting Pale and Dark banding on abdomen and thorax are quite distinctive and help to separate from Engrailed.
Distribution: (First record: 26 May 2016 ) – (Last record: 2024 ) – This species prefers woodland habitat, and is locally distributed in the south of England, Wales and southern Ireland, with scattered occurrences to northern England. So for one to be attracted to a light trap at Hartington, near Buxton, is an extremely unusual occurrence. The first VC57 record of this species, was recorded on 26/5/2016. The record was discovered whilst verifying old county records on iNaturalist. The second VC57 record was from Cromford Moor when one was attracted to a light trap on 1st/2nd May 2025. It is possible this species is overlooked due to similarities with Engrailed.
*** Last updated on 2 October 2025 by RP ***
Forewing: 18-20mm
Last Recorded Year: 2024
First Recorded Year: 2016
Last Recorded By – Not Recorded
Last Recorded General Area – Not Recorded
Selected Images: Hartington, Buxton, Derbyshire – Stephen Moores © / Cromford Moor 2025 – Clive Ashton©
Image Gallery
Distribution Map for Paradarisa consonaria
Found 2 records
↳ 1 from After 2025
↳ 0 from 2020 - 2024
↳ 1 from Before 2020
↳ 1 from After 2025
↳ 0 from 2020 - 2024
↳ 1 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 – Paradarisa consonaria
⚠️ 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:
Paradarisa consonaria
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Monthly Counts By Year: Paradarisa consonaria
( data is based on 'Adult' stage records only. )
First/Last Recorded Dates: Paradarisa consonaria
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: Paradarisa consonaria
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Paradarisa consonaria
AGR: 0% | Total % Change: 0%
CUSUM Analysis: Paradarisa consonaria
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 24 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 2025, reaching above average levels. The lowest population point occurred near 2016, 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: Paradarisa consonaria
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Paradarisa consonaria
Paradarisa consonaria
( 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 - Paradarisa consonaria – 2 records available
Listed by Year - descending - scroll across to see all table columns
| Site Name | Tetrad | Date | Count | Stage | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cromford Moor | SK25X | 01/05/2025 | 1 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Hartington, Buxton SK, UK | SK16F | 26/05/2016 | 1 | Adult | vc57_irecords_extract |