Species Details

ABH: 73.045

BF: 2289

Family: Noctuidae

Subfamily: Acronictinae

Taxon: Acronicta rumicis

Authority: (Linnaeus, 1758)

Vernacular: Knot Grass

Account: Common on grassland, heathland, marshes, gardens and a wide range of other habitats throughout much of the British Isles Superficially similar to other Acronicta species, it can usually be distinguished by the curved white mark near the rear edge of the forewing, which is normally present even in melanic specimens. Larva feeds on various herbaceous and woody plants, including Broad-leaved Dock, Common Sorrel, Ribwort Plantain, Greater Plantain, Water Mint, Bramble, Hop, Hawthorn and Burnet Rose, over-wintering 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: 35 — 43 mm

Surrey Flight Period: 6 Apr (2010) — 5 Sep (2023)

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

Foodplant: Polyphagous.

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

Status: Least Concern (LC)

UK BAP: BAP(R)

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/acronicta-rumicis/
Statistics

* Based on adult records only.

Records: 913

Individuals: 183

Earliest Year: 1924

Latest Year: 2025

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