North Wales Lepidoptera Database

This online database contains all available* butterfly and moth records from the six vice-counties of North Wales: Montgomeryshire (VC47), Merionethshire (VC48), Caernarvonshire (VC49), Denbighshire (VC50), Flintshire (VC51) and Anglesey (VC52). (To see a map of the vice-counties click here).

These records are based on observations of more than 1,389,690 individual butterflies and moths. The table below summarises the current number of records from each vice-county along with the number of species recorded. (Full county lists can be viewed here). Note that these figures are based on the current contents of the database - which is likely to be incomplete and may not be up-to-date.

	North Wales totals	VC47	VC48	VC49	VC50	VC51	VC52
No. of micro-moths recorded	930	490	694	728	672	284*	516
No. of macro-moths recorded	611	506	555	510	542	323	448
No. of butterflies recorded	46	40	46	42	36*	31*	34
Total no. of spp recorded**	1589	1036	1295	1280	1250	638	998
Total no. of records	445,947	134,309	119,627	97,423	40,083	6,488	47,229

* Only a few casual records included.

** This figure is imprecise as a few species are included in the database which have not been independently verified and could be be incorrect. Also a few taxa that are included which are now considered to be forms rather than separate species (e.g. Scarce Footman and Northern Footman)

The records for each species can be examined as text and may also be plotted as dot distribution maps which include a flight time histogram. The records may also be viewed on Google Maps, allowing a closer look at any area of particular interest. All the plots are generated in real time by the server whenever a request is received - a process which may give rise to a noticeable delay, especially for commoner species with more records.

For many species there are one or more photographs, almost all of which were taken locally. This web site is not intended as an identification guide (though the information and photographs may help). Instead links are given to other web sites which contain more general information.

Please bear in mind that there are always likely to be errors present in any database. It would be prudent to contact the appropriate VC Recorder for help in interpreting the data.

All butterfly and moth records are of interest. Please send them, in any form convenient, to the appropriate Vice County Recorder. (The preferred format is as an Excel spreadsheet with the records listed row by row). Contact details for the Vice-County Recorders can be found here: Moths, Butterflies. Alternatively, records can be sent to one or other of the two Local Record Centres covering North Wales: BIS (Biological Information Services for Montgomeryshire (VC47) and Cofnod for the other counties. Remember that records sent anywhere else may never be entered into the county databases. (The county recorders cannot guarantee to monitor the sightings page on the North Wales BC Branch website, the flight-arrivals page on the Atropos website or any other internet forums or chat groups).

Note that, in common with many other websites, this one requires your browser to be 'javascript enabled' and to 'accept cookies'. The latter functionality is needed simply to store temporary variables used in the behind-the-scenes processing. These are deleted at the end of your session.

Please get in touch if you have any comments or suggestions for improvements.

Andrew Graham

Acknowledgements

* Not all records from recent years have yet been collated. Also, not all of the county datasets have been made available for use on this website. The records that are included are shown in the table below.

	VC47	VC48	VC49	VC50	VC51	VC52
Butterflies	up to end 2011	up to date	up to date	not available	not available	up to date
Moths	up to end 2011	up to date	up to end 2008. Some recent data.	up end 2009 (macros) up to date (micros)	up to end 2009 (macros)	up to end 2005. Some data up to 2010

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to everyone who has helped make this website possible both by supplying datasets and by commenting on layout and functionality. I am particularly grateful to those of my fellow Vice County Recorders who have been generous in supplying their county datasets and providing annual updates, to BIS (Biological Information Services) for allowing the use of their moth and butterfly records from Montgomeryshire and to Cofnod for close co-operation over the Lepidoptera records from Merionethshire.

The micro-moth UK statuses are taken from: A Review of the Status of Microlepidoptera in Britain, Butterfly Conservation Report No. S12-02, Tony Davis, January 2012. Macro-moth UK statuses are from an earlier (2004) table also prepared by Tony Davis.

The English names used for micro-moths are taken from: A Label and Checklist of the British Micro-lepidoptera with Vernacular Names (second edition), Jim Porter, October 2002.

The Welsh names for macro-moths are from a spreadsheet prepared by Duncan Brown.