Hantsmoths

Possibly a very rare immigrant from southern Europe, appearing on the south coast, with a number of records from the 19th Century, but none since; it is known to have declined throughout its range, but being of great allure to collectors it perhaps has never been reliably recorded in this country. In Hampshire there is just a single record of two near Petersfield in 1890, as follows from Goater (1974): "J A C Greenwood (wrote) that (he) has two specimens set on the old steel pins with round heads... given me by my godfather C J P Cave, once President of the Meteorological Society. He told me he had caught them as a youngish boy by day in the garden of the family house, Ditcham Park, near Petersfield. He was a reliable observer. The moths would have been caught around 1890." BG comments that it is a pity that the record was not published at the time, but he saw no reason to doubt it. The record is in the database on this basis. Wingspan 32-36 mm. Larva feeds on Monk's-hood, but on the continent it does also utilise Delphinium in gardens. The moth flies in May and June, the larva in July and August, overwintering as a pupa.

VC11 South Hampshire