Species Details

ABH: 3.005

BF: 14

Family: Hepialidae

Taxon: Hepialus humuli

=Hepialus humuli humuli

=Hepialus humuli thulensis

Authority: (Linnaeus, 1758)

Vernacular: Ghost Moth

Account: Common in rough meadows and grassland throughout much of Britain and Ireland, but excluding the Isles of Scilly, a species of conservation concern under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan, female 46-48 mm. Unmistakable. The larva is polyphagous in the root systems of many grasses and herbaceous plants such as Stinging Nettle and Hop, over-wintering twice.

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: male 44 — 46 mm; female 46 — 48 mm

Surrey Flight Period: 25 May (1959) — 10 Aug (1970)

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

Foodplant: Fagus sylvatica (Beech), Quercus sp. (an oak).

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: 1 — Relatively easily identified 👌

Further Information: https://www.ukmoths.org.uk/species/hepialus-humuli/

Statistics

* Based on adult records only.

Records: 307

Individuals: 81

Earliest Year: 1903

Latest Year: 2019

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