Species Details

ABH: 73.249

BF: 2190

Family: Noctuidae

Subfamily: Hadeninae

Taxon: Orthosia gothica

Authority: (Linnaeus, 1758)

Vernacular: Hebrew Character

Account: Common often abundant, in all types of habitat throughout the British Isles. One of the commonest visitors to the light trap in early spring, but occasionally, around mid-May, appearing at the same time as the superficially similar Setaceous Hebrew Character Xestia c-nigrum. Larva polyphagous on a great many deciduous trees and shrubs, including Oak, Birch, Hawthorn, Sallow, Lime and Bilberry, and herbaceous plants such as Meadowsweet and Stinging Nettle, 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: 30 — 40 mm

Surrey Flight Period: 12 Jan (2018) — 12 Jun (1976)

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:

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/orthosia-gothica/

Statistics

* Based on adult records only.

Records: 1687

Individuals: 4827

Earliest Year: 1892

Latest Year: 2025

« Previous Random 🎲 Next »