Scientific name: Setina irrorella

June - July. Rare. On a few sites in England, Wales and Scotland. Mainly coastal. Yellow, black-spotted, and medium-sized. Occurs on rocky coasts, shingle beaches and downland.

An unmistakeable moth due to its colouration and the configuration of markings.  Can vary in colour from cream to yellow.  Its name is suggested to have arisen from the moth’s habit of hanging from a blade of grass or leaf when at rest in the day, giving it a transparent appearance.

The male flies in the afternoon, at dusk, after dark and at dawn. The female is largely nocturnal.

Size and Family

• Family – Tigers, Ermines, Footmen and allies (Arctiids)
• Medium Sized 

Conservation status

• UK BAP: Not listed
• Scarce (Nationally Scarce A)

Particular Caterpillar Food Plants

Lichens

Distribution

• Countries – England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland
• A scarce species, with a scattered distribution along the southern and western coasts of England, on the Isle of Wight, the west coast of Wales and mainland Scotland.  Restricted to hilly habitats elsewhere, including the Burren in Ireland, Gloucestershire, Breconshire and the North Downs in Surrey.

Habitat

Occurs on rocky coasts, shingle beaches and calcareous grassland inland.