70.272 BF1949 – Square Spot – Paradarisa consonaria – (Hübner, [1799])
Adult Macro: CAT 2 – Can be confused with other species – Good photographs maybe required – 
– click for Adult Macro Verification Guidelines
– 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 at Hartington ) – (Last record: 1 May 2025 at Cromford Moor ) – 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/iRecord. 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.
General Comment: None *** Last updated on 18 February 2026 by TD ***
Forewing: 18-20mm
Last Recorded Year: 2025
First Recorded Year: 2016
Last Recorded By – Clive Ashton
Last Recorded General Area – Cromford Moor
Selected Images: Hartington, Buxton, Derbyshire – Stephen Moores © / Cromford Moor 2025 – Clive Ashton©
Image Gallery
Temporal Distribution Chart
Adults: (between 2016 - 2025)
(click legend below to show/hide datasets)
Distribution Map for Paradarisa consonaria
Found 2 records
↳ from 2026+
↳ 1 from 2020 - 2025
↳ 1 from Before 2020
↳ from 2026+
↳ 1 from 2020 - 2025
↳ 1 from Before 2020
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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
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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
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Recordings By Year: Paradarisa consonaria
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Paradarisa consonaria
AGR: 0% | Total % Change: 0%
Hectad (10kmx10km) Coverage: Paradarisa consonaria
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Paradarisa consonaria
Paradarisa consonaria
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 2020-2026.
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 | Recorder | Source | RecordKey |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cromford Moor | SK25X | 01/05/2025 | 1 | adult | Ashton, Clive | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC41331153 |
| Hartington, Buxton SK, UK | SK16F | 26/05/2016 | 1 | Adult | Moores, Stephen | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC9877823 |