The Miller Acronicta leporina - Distribution map

Please note that the NBN Gateway map service has been terminated as of 1 April 2017.

As soon as a replacement map service is available, distribution maps will hopefully appear here again.

In the meantime, you can get some idea of distribution from the NBN Atlas website.

View the NBN Atlas Map

73.04 BF2280

The Miller Acronicta leporina

(Linnaeus, 1758)


Wingspan 35-45 mm.

Another variable species, the whitest forms occurring in parts of Scotland, and the darker ones in northern England and the Midlands, in industrial areas. Typically, the species is pale greyish, a form known as f. grisea.

It is generally distributed in woodlands and heathland over much of Britain, though commoner in the south, and flies from June to August.

The highly distinctive caterpillar is pale green, and is covered with extremely long whitish hairs, giving the whole larva a feather-like appearance. It feeds mainly on birch (Betula) but also on other deciduous trees.
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