Species Details

ABH: 73.022

BF: 2439

Family: Noctuidae

Subfamily: Plusiinae

Taxon: Plusia festucae

Authority: (Linnaeus, 1758)

Vernacular: Gold Spot

Account: Common in marshes, fens, woodland rides and upland grassland, and on heathland, moorland and river-banks throughout the British Isles The main confusion species, Lempke's Gold Spot P. putnami, is rare in the south of England, and differs in having the more distal of the silver median spots smaller and more rounded, and the subapical silver streak shorter and thicker, but can often only be separated by dissection of the genitalia. Larva feeds on various sedges, including Tufted Sedge and Glaucous Sedge, and other waterside plants.

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 — 40 mm

Surrey Flight Period: 18 May (1952) — 10 Oct (1953)

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

Foodplant: Cyperaceae, Gramineae., 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: 2 — Care needed to identify, an image may be required 🤔
Further Information: https://www.ukmoths.org.uk/species/plusia-festucae/
Statistics

* Based on adult records only.

Records: 115

Individuals: 34

Earliest Year: 1922

Latest Year: 2018

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