35.046 BF782  –  Gelechiidae –  Anomologinae – Bryotropha senectella – Grizzled Moss-moth – (Zeller, 1839) Adult Micro:  CAT 2 – Confusion Species –       PDF Icon – click for General Verification Guidelines  |   PDF Icon – click for Specific Verification Guidelines
Black – Uncertain/Unknown – Insufficient Data   
Taxonomy:   Micro   >>  Gelechiidae  >> Anomologinae
** Identification write up and photograph required **
Other Name/s: Dull Red Neb
ID Difficulty:  amber  – care required in the identification process, as confusion with similar species is likely – quality photographs required.
Confusion Species:  Bryotropha affinis (Dark Moss-moth); Bryotropha similis (Obscure Moss-moth)
Distribution:  (Last record: 10 July 2025 at Buxton )  –  Uncertain due to insufficient data – 2 records prior to 2010 – (iRecord) 5 records – all from same recorder 2011,2013,2020 (Ripley); 2021, 23/7/2022 (Breaston) – all plausible records; Confirmed record from Buxton 10/6/2025 (photographed)
Flight Period: June /  July /  August /  September /  –  June – September mainly flying at night Moth Activity: Nocturnal   – and is attracted to light Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Steve Orridge  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 2 October 2025 by RP ***
Wingspan: 9-13mm
Food Plant: Mosses
Last Recorded Year: 2025
Last Recorded By – Steve Orridge
Last Recorded General Area – Buxton

Selected Images:  

Buxton (2025) Steve Orridge©



Distribution Map for Bryotropha senectella

Found 9 records
    ↳ 4 from After 2025
    ↳ 3 from 2020 - 2024
    ↳ 2 from Before 2020
Flying
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

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 – Bryotropha senectella

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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.

Visit NBN Site


Monthly Records By Year: Bryotropha senectella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

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


First/Last Recorded Dates: Bryotropha senectella
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: Bryotropha senectella
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Bryotropha senectella
AGR: 1.61%   |   Total % Change: 25%


CUSUM Analysis: Bryotropha senectella
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 2025, reaching above average levels. The lowest population point occurred near 2022, 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: Bryotropha senectella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Bryotropha senectella
( 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 - Bryotropha senectella – 9 records available

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

Site NameTetradDateCountStageSource
Ladycroft Ave, BuxtonSK07S10/07/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
sheffieldSK38K25/07/20252adultvc57_irecords_extract
SheffieldSK38M26/07/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
HathersageSK28F19/06/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Woodland AveSK43R23/07/20221Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Woodland AveSK43R18/07/20211adultvc57_irecords_extract
Woodland AveSK43R29/07/20201adultvc57_irecords_extract
Backgarden of Broadway, Ripley DELJSK45A02/08/20131adultvc57_irecords_extract
Backgarden MarehaySK34Z01/08/20111adultvc57_irecords_extract

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