Branch Moth Recording

Recording moths is an important part of Butterfly Conservation's work. There are many and varied moths throughout SW Scotland and it is well worth spending the time to study them.

The National Moth Recording Scheme was set up in 2007 to provide a national database for the macro-moths in the UK. This is a major step forward for moth recording in the UK.

We are very keen for people who record in the field to send in their moth records so they can be added to the newly formed branch moth database. This database is expanding, but there is a lot more data out there still to be processed. Below is a species density plot showing the data entered so far at 10km resolution. This comes from 6320 records and 854 species so far. The data has been entered into the MapMate® recording software.

SW Scotland Species 10Km

This is an example of 10km resolution dot map showing records for the Large Yellow Underwing. It is not a distribution map as it only shows a few records. Many more records will be needed to start to create a distrbution map.

Large Yellow Underwing plotted at 10Km resolution

 

We are interested in all species of moth ranging from the most common to the most rare. The following moth species found in Scotland are listed in the UKBAP as Priority Species and thus have their very own UK Biodiversity Action Plan and by definition deemed to require the most urgent conservation action.

• Argent and Sable (Rheumaptera hastate)
• Barred Tooth-striped (Trichopteryx polycommata)
• Cousin German (Paradiarsia sobrina)
• Dark Bordered Beauty (Epione vespertaria)
• Lunar Yellow Underwing (Noctua orbona)
• Narrow-bordered Bee Hawk (Hemaris tityus)
• Netted Mountain Moth (Macaria carbonaria)
• New Forest Burnet (Zygaena viciae)
• Northern Dart (Xestia alpicola)
• Slender Scotch Burnet (Zygaena loti)
• Square-spotted Clay (Xestia rhomboidea)
• Sword-grass (Xylena exsoleta)

If you would like to contribute data for future conservation work then there are several ways in which data can be sent:

• By post
• In an email, using Word or Excel
• Mapmate - setting the appropriate area, the taxon, to "Lepidoptera: Moths" and the records to "All Records" and sending the data to sync partner 1vk (see picture below).

 

Any records received will be passed onto the County Recorders for verification and also the local records centres and national recording schemes (such as the Pyralid and Plume Recording Scheme).

County Recorders

VC 72, 73 and 74 >> Dumfries-shire, Kirkcudbrightshire and Wigtownshire

VC75 and 76 >> Ayrshire, Inverclyde and Renfrewshire

VC77 >> Lanarkshire

VC86 and 87 >> Stirlingshire, West Perthshire (with Clackmannanshire)

VC98 >> Argyll Main

VC 99 >> Dunbartonshire

VC100 >> Clyde Isles

VC101 >> Kintyre

VC102 >> South Ebudes

VC103 >> Mid Ebudes