B&F: 1983

ABH: 69.009

Status: Former resident.

Distribution and Abundance: Local.

Primary Habitat: Woodland.

Flight Period: Single brooded from May to July.

Localities and Last Record: Silverstone to 1950, Harringworth Wood to 1937 and Castor Hanglands pre 1961. Last record June 1955 Wakerley Wood (R. Leaton).

Observations: Over the years the species appears to have gradually declined in the county to its eventual demise in the 1950’s. It was described as, “Rather rare on the reserve and certainly commoner twenty years ago” by R. E. M. Pilcher in his unpublished paper, “The Lepidoptera of Castor Hanglands and Ailsworth Heath 1911 – 1960.” It was even more plentiful in Victorian times as evidenced by an article in, “The Entomologists Weekly Intelligencer,” of 1859 vol. 4, p.19 by William Sturgess of Kettering entitled, “Captures at Kettering,” in which he writes, “Later in the day I stumbled on the head-quarters of S. Fuciformis, a patch of ground covered with the flowers of Lychnis Flos-cuculi, and all alive with insect life: I managed to box half-a-dozen during the few minutes the sun condescended to show himself.” In view of his other articles I think that he was visiting Weelkey Hall Wood.

L.O.N.: 1907. Geddington Chase, Yardley Chase. Not common.

First Record: 1841, near Aldwinkle, Doubleday.