Sprawler (Asteroscopus sphinx) | Species | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Male. Taken at Aston, Oxon., on October 29th 2024. (© David Hastings) (1/200th sec at f11) DescriptionFamily: Noctuidae (ABH : 73.065) Wing span: 34 - 44mm This moth has a stout, very furry thorax, and a long, black basal streak. The forewing base colour is light or cold, brownish grey. There is also a dark, olive-brown form. The male has feathered antennae. It does not feed. It is well distributed in the southern half of England, as far north as the Wash, and in eastern Wales. It is more local in northern England and Ireland. It is absent from Scotland. It is found in broad-leaved woodland and other well-wooded areas, including some gardens. There is one generation per year, from mid-October to early December. It over-winters as an egg. Larvae feed on a wide range of broad-leaved trees, including Pedunculate Oak, Hawthorn, Blackthorn, sallows and limes. Both sexes comes to light, but often fail to enter the trap. Earliest UK sighting: 28th October ; Latest UK sighting: 23rd November Sightings
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