Morley’s Final Catalogue: No less common than the last kind. Bentley and Parham Woods in May and August (Mly); Lowestoft (Skepper); Beccles (Crf). Ickworth (Wrt); Elveden (Williams); Icklingham Plains in May 1922 (Mly).

Recent Status: Our common ‘Mint Moth’ is recorded across the county.

Life Style: At least two generations in a year. The moth flies by day and night and comes to light. The larvae feed on species of mint and related plants. Larvae overwinter in a cocoon. Pupation takes place in a cocoon on the ground.

Identification: Pyrausta aurata, a variably marked moth, has dark brown to black wings. The upper side of the forewing is overlain with red scales, usually densely so, but this can be reduced and individuals with almost no red scale do occur. The underside and the hindwing have limited red scaling. Markings are of a golden yellow. At a minimum this is a patch at around three quarters just below the costa. The hindwing has a single golden yellow line. The species can be confused with Pyrausta purpuralis or Pyrausta ostrinalis. If only a photo is available then P. purpuralis has a spot in the basal part of the hindwing. Also the markings between the dominant spot and the dorsum resemble a flying gull, with the body on the termen side of the wings. This is not always clearly marked. The markings of P. ostrinalis tend to be paler and are dark edged. The certain method of excluding these similar species is on a captured moth when the underside of the hindwings can be viewed. P. aurata only has a single line, the other species have additional markings.

Recorded in 50 (86%) of 58 10k Squares. First Recorded in 1922. Last Recorded in 2024. Additional Stats

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