Species Details

ABH: 73.048

BF: 2397

Family: Noctuidae

Subfamily: Metoponiinae

Taxon: Panemeria tenebrata

Authority: (Scopoli, 1763)

Vernacular: Small Yellow Underwing

Account: Local in flower meadows, calcareous grassland, roadside verges and sea cliffs throughout England and Wales Flies during the day in sunshine. Hindwing primrose-yellow with broad black border to one-third and heavy black suffusion at base (MBGBI Vol 10), together with day-flying habit and small size preclude confusion with any other British moth, although it has been compared to the pyralid Pyrausta aurata. Larva feeds on seed capsules of Common Mouse-ear and Field Mouse-ear, 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: 18 — 20 mm

Surrey Flight Period: 21 Apr (1945) — 16 Jun (1985)

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

Foodplant: Cerastium fontanum (Common Mouse-ear), Cerastium sp., Stellaria sp.

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/panemeria-tenebrata/
Statistics

* Based on adult records only.

Records: 145

Individuals: 13

Earliest Year: 1893

Latest Year: 2025

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