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49.121 BF939  – Four-spotted Straw  – Aethes tesserana  – ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775)
Adult Micro:  CAT 3 – Very rare or scarce species (includes very scarce adventives/immigrants) – confusion with leaf mines       Leaf-miner:  CAT A – Recorded accepted without the leaf or a photo –       Larval Case:  C1 – Distinctive Species –      
PDF Icon – click for General Verification Guidelines  |   PDF Icon – click for Specific Verification Guidelines
Brown –  Significant Record / Very Rare / Vagrant    
Taxonomy:   Micro   >>  Tortricidae  >> Tortricinae
** This moth species page is currently incomplete **
Other Name/s: Downland Conch
ID Difficulty:  green  – easy to identify, generally distinctive and unlikely to be confused with other species.
Distribution:  (Last record: 1905 at Lathkill Dale )  –  Significant record – only records from Harrison & Sterling 1905 – Little Eaton prior to 1905 & Lathkill Dale rare prior to 1905. No modern day records.
General Comment: None
Flight Period: May /  June /  July /  August –  One generation May through June and flies actively in sunshine Moth Activity: Cathemeral   – but often seen by day Photographed: No –  Photographed By: Not Recorded
*** Last updated on 8 April 2026 by TD ***
Wingspan: 12-18mm
Food Plant: Oxtongue & Hawkweed larvae feed in the roots
Last Recorded Year: 1905
Last Recorded By – Harrison and Sterling
Last Recorded General Area – Lathkill Dale

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Temporal Distribution Chart
(click legend below to show/hide datasets)
This chart summarises all available historical occurrence records collated by ISO week of the year. It reflects recorder effort and sampling distribution as well as true biological activity, and should be interpreted as an indicative pattern of seasonal occurrence rather than a statistically controlled abundance or phenology model.

Distribution Map for Aethes tesserana

No records found
Flying
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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 – Aethes tesserana

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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.

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Monthly Records By Year: Aethes tesserana
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Monthly Counts By Year: Aethes tesserana
( data is based on 'Adult' stage records only )

First/Last Recorded Dates: Aethes tesserana
Adult-only & Anything [Larvae, Pupae, Adult, Mines]

Shading shows moth presence between dates

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Recordings By Year: Aethes tesserana
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Aethes tesserana
AGR: 0%   |   Total % Change: 0%
Aethes tesserana
Insufficient records/data for an AGR analysis
Years Analysed: 2000 – 2026

Hectad (10kmx10km) Coverage: Aethes tesserana
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Aethes tesserana

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 - Aethes tesserana – 0 records available

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

No records found for Aethes tesserana.

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