Regional Species


Belted Beauty
Lycia zonaria britannica

Photograph by Ilija Vukomanovic

Photograph by Ilija Vukomanovic

Regional Species

This exceedingly local species has been reduced to one last remaining Welsh colony on the sand dunes at Morfa Conwy. The moth is also known at a sand dune site on the Wirral, Cheshire and has recently been discovered in a saltmarsh habitat in Lancashire. (It also occurs in Western Scotland). The Welsh population has been intensively studied and the subject of a captive breeding and translocation project.

The strange looking female of this species (lower photograph) is entirely wingless. Females can sometimes be found resting on posts or debris at the top of the beach.

Further information available from the NW Lepidoptera Database, including access to detailed records, maps, flight-time charts and photographs.