Species Details

ABH: 73.002

BF: 2449

Family: Noctuidae

Subfamily: Plusiinae

Taxon: Abrostola triplasia

=Abrostola tripartita

Authority: (Linnaeus, 1758)

Vernacular: Dark Spectacle

Account: Common in a wide range of habitats, including river-banks, hedgerows and gardens throughout the British Isles, but rare in Scotland. Similar to A. tripartita, but ground-colour is brownish black, base of forewing is dull straw or reddish brown and cross-lines are edged with reddish brown. Over-winters as a pupa.

Accounts provided by and used with the kind permission of Mike Wall, Hampshire County Moth Recorder. These will in due course be gradually replaced with species accounts with a Surrey context.

Wingspan: 34 — 40 mm

Surrey Flight Period: 13 May (1959) — 1 Oct (2025)

The flight period of overwintering adults are not given. See the flight chart below the distribution map.

Foodplant: Urtica dioica (Common Nettle).

Foodplant accounts are from the HOSTS database — Natural History Museum, London, UK. (CC0).

Status: Least Concern (LC)

UK BAP:

WCA:

Click here to view the full geology map of Surrey.

Verification Grade: 2 — Care needed to identify, an image may be required 🤔
Further Information: https://www.ukmoths.org.uk/species/abrostola-triplasia/
Statistics

* Based on adult records only.

Records: 116

Individuals: 33

Earliest Year: 1892

Latest Year: 2025

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