Rare tiny moth found in Scotland for the first time

The alder signal moth was recorded at Jupiter Urban Wildlife Centre in Grangemouth.

1st Apr 2020

A tiny moth has been found in Scotland for the first time, a conservation charity has announced.

The alder signal moth, which has a wingspan of just over one centimetre, was recorded at Jupiter Urban Wildlife Centre in Grangemouth.

The insect, which is black and orange with striped legs, was found in a trap set out at Jupiter last July when many adult moths are in flight.

Martin Culshaw, the local vice-county moth recorder, and fellow moth expert Dr Mark Young have now confirmed the find as being an alder moth.
Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Falkirk ranger Claire Martin, who found the insect, said: “It’s very exciting to have recorded the first alder signal moth in Scotland, it shows there’s still so much we have to learn about Scotland’s amazing wildlife.

“Micromoths are tiny, often overlooked and under-recorded.

“While this is the first time we’ve seen this species, it is likely to have been around for some time.”

She added: “I only started to try to identify the micromoths found in moth traps on the reserve in 2019.

“There is every chance there are still other significant species here, just waiting to be discovered.”

The wildlife centre was transformed from a disused railway siding to a wildlife reserve by the Scottish Wildlife Trust and opened to the public in 1992.

Alder signal moths are relatively common in the south of England, with scattered populations farther north.