Status
Morley's Final Catalogue: Not recorded from the county in Morley's time. He states: A. nigra, Haw, is of western distribution in Britain and unlikely to occur with us.
Recent Suffolk Status: Common. The first county record was in a Rothamstead trap at Higham sometime between 1968-1979. Not noted again until 1992, at Hollesley (R. G. T. St Ledger). From the early 2000s, it started to appear at a few sites both in VC25 and VC26 in small numbers. Colonization was then pretty rapid and it is now found across the county and can appear in numbers in light traps. A similar pattern of colonization also occurred in Norfolk.
Life history: Single-brooded. Regularly recorded on Ivy blossom and Blackberries as well as at light. Larvae have occasionally been found in early spring at night feeding on acid grasses and Heather on heathland sites.
Identification: Deep-brown dart is smaller, grey in colour and lacks the white kidney mark.
Habitat: Grassland, heathland, gardens.Recorded in 46 (79%) of 58 10k Squares.
First Recorded in 1968.
Last Recorded in 2023. |