Distribution and Abundance: Probably common.

Primary Habitat: Grassland.

Flight Period: Single brooded in July and August.

Observations: Due to the recent separation of this species from its congener the Common Rustic (M. secalis) all old records were ascribed to the Common Rustic. There is a source of further confusion in that the two species are so similar in appearance that they are only conclusively separated by genitalia examination. As both moths come to light generally the numbers involved make this option impractical, there is therefore bound to be misidentification included in the mapping. In my experience the smaller moths that are usually regarded as Lesser Common Rustic are the less plentiful of the two species in the county. The only exception that I have known to this was on 19 July 2001 at Boughton Park when an m.v. light trap left overnight against a lake attracted some thirty moths, covering a full range of forms, all of which were significantly smaller than the average size. Moths where the identification is uncertain should be aggregated within the two species and recorded as Common Rustic agg. My feeling is that Common Rustic (M. secalis) is still the more common species in Northamptonshire so records received termed as aggregated between the two species have been included under Common Rustic on this site.

First Record: 1971, Grafton Park Wood, Ward.