Species Details

ABH: 73.359

BF: 2126

Family: Noctuidae

Subfamily: Noctuinae

Taxon: Xestia c-nigrum

Authority: (Linnaeus, 1758)

Vernacular: Setaceous Hebrew Character

Account: Common often abundant, especially in autumn, in a wide variety of habitats, including gardens, woodland, heathland and marshes throughout the British Isles. One of the most frequent visitors to light traps in autumn and very easily recognised, the most likely confusion species is Double Square-spot X. triangulum. Larva feeds on a wide variety on herbaceous plants, including Stinging Nettle, White Dead-nettle, Great Willowherb, Rosebay Willowherb and Greater Burdock.

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 — 45 mm

Surrey Flight Period: 1 May (2007) — 10 Nov (1994)

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

Foodplant: Urtica 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: 1 — Relatively easily identified 👌

Further Information: https://www.ukmoths.org.uk/species/xestia-c-nigrum/

Statistics

* Based on adult records only.

Records: 1780

Individuals: 2525

Earliest Year: 1840

Latest Year: 2025

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