Species Details

ABH: 73.089

BF: 2386

Family: Noctuidae

Subfamily: Xyleninae

Taxon: Spodoptera littoralis

Authority: (Boisduval, 1833)

Vernacular: Mediterranean Brocade

Account: Very rare immigrant (less than 10 previous UK records) from southern Europe, appearing in southern England on six occasions between 1960 and 1998. In 1963 the species was found in numbers in glass-houses from southern England to the Midlands, and even Scotland. This infestation was traced to chrysanthemum cuttings with infected roots imported from the Canary Islands; it was eliminated by the next year, but larvae are still regularly found in imported fruit Larva feeds on fruits and vegetables such as Potato and Tomato, causing sufficient damage to be a serious pest in some areas.

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: 34 — 38 mm

Surrey Flight Period: 16 Jun (2003) — 22 Jun (2007)

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

Foodplant:

Foodplant accounts are from the HOSTS database — Natural History Museum, London, UK. (CC0).

Status: Migrant

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/spodoptera-littoralis/

Statistics

* Based on adult records only.

Records: 2

Individuals: 1

Earliest Year: 2003

Latest Year: 2007

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