Key to Species Text

Unless otherwise indicated the information given applies to modern records and reflects the current position.

1) Status
Defined using one of these four self explanatary terms: Resident, Migrant, Vagrant or Accidental.

2) Distribution and Abundance

Resident status is categorised as follows:
Common: To be found wherever its food plant occurs plentifully and usually seen in good numbers annually.
Local: With a distribution more restricted than that of its food plant, or occurring on a localised food plant.
Scarce: Few modern records.
Rare: Very few modern records.

Migrant, Vagrant or Accidental status is categorised as follows:
Common: Seen annually, sometimes in good numbers.
Irregular: Seen less frequently and not every year.
Scarce: Few modern records.
Rare: Very few modern records.

Where appropriate these categories are graded and qualified. It should be borne in mind that commonness is frequently cyclical and that many species at some time or other become plentiful or few. Unavoidably the terms that I have used largely reflect my own experience and are therefore to some extent subjective.

 3) Primary Habitat
Where the moth is most numerous, or for less well recorded species where it has occurred the most.

4) Flight period
Number of annual broods and months when it is mainly seen on the wing.

5) Localities and Records
Up to four recent localities are specified for local species.
Full records to a maximum of four are referenced for scarce and rare species.

6) Observations
Variation, melanism or other relevant information.

7) L.O.N.: The Lepidoptera of Northamptonshire, by Eustace F. Wallis published in instalments between 1908 and 1912 by the Northamptonshire Natural History Society. Primarily based on records from the first decade of the 20^th century and providing a good picture of the lepidoptera in the county at that time.

8) First record:  Date and recorder of the first county record. Where material, known localities are quoted.