Species Details

ABH: 73.334

BF: 2123

Family: Noctuidae

Subfamily: Noctuinae

Taxon: Diarsia rubi

Authority: (Vieweg, 1790)

Vernacular: Small Square-spot

Account: Common in damp woodland and grassland, gardens and rough meadows throughout the British Isles, a species of conservation concern under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan. A useful field mark is the very small black dot between the orbicular stigma and dorsum, but there is no reliable way to distinguish this species from Fen Square-spot D. florida, and the two taxa may best be considered conspecific. Larva feeds on various herbaceous plants, including Dandelion and Dock.

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: 30 — 38 mm

Surrey Flight Period: 5 May (2007) — 19 Oct (1994)

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/diarsia-rubi/
Statistics

* Based on adult records only.

Records: 791

Individuals: 615

Earliest Year: 1903

Latest Year: 2025

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