Lobesia abscisana

Alternative names
Thistle Marble
Smoky-barred Marble
Description

Wingspan 10-13 mm. A smallish moth with brown and white markings and darker than related species.

Identification difficulty
Habitat

Rough grassland where Creeping Thistle is present.

When to see it

The adults fly in May and again in July and August. Flying from dusk onwards, they are attracted to light.

Life History

The larvae feed in spinnings on the shoots of Creeping Thistle.

UK Status

It is distributed mainly in the south and south-east of England, with some records from further north into Yorkshire and is generally not well recorded. In the Butterfly Conservation’s Microlepidoptera Report 2011 this species was classified as common.

VC55 Status

Fairly common in Leicestershire and Rutland. L&R Moth Group status = A (common and resident)

Reference
49.183 BF1108

Leicestershire & Rutland Map

MAP KEY:

Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2020+ | 2015-2019 | pre-2015

UK Map

Species profile

Common names
Smoky-barred Marble
Species group:
Moths
Kingdom:
Animalia
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Tortricidae
Records on NatureSpot:
93
First record:
08/07/2003 (Skevington, Mark)
Last record:
09/08/2023 (Skidmore, Paul)

Total records by month

% of records within its species group

10km squares with records

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