Photo © Alec Harmer
Old World Webworm
Hellula undalis
Checklist Number63.061 [B&F: 1360]
Verification
Record will require further evidence, at least a good photograph, unless CMR is aware recorder has confidence in identification
Classification
| Family: | Crambidae |
| Subfamily: | Glaphyriinae |
| Genus: | Hellula |
| Species: | undalis |
| Authority: | (Fabricius, 1781) |
Previously a very rare immigrant from the tropics of the Old World, where widespread. This species is presumed to have arrived on these shores as an immigrant from Africa on the basis of a specimen taken at a light-trap near East Prawle, Devon, on 28 September 1967, but there were no further records until 1988 since when it has been almost annual with the peak arrival of 73 adults having occurred in 2011, the majority being in south-west England. In our area it is far rarer: the first (and so far only) record for the Isle of Wight came in 1989, with the first for Hampshire in 2001. 2023 saw a significant influx nationally, with two recorded in the county.
The abundance in each month is indicated as follows:
No records
Very occasional
Irregular
Uncommon
Off-peak, but not unusual
Off-peak, but not unusual
Main flight time| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Larval | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Records by week (adult)
Records by week (larval)
VC10 Isle of Wight
| Site | Date | Quantity | Recorder | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freshwater (SZ38) | 26/10/1989 | one | Sam Knill-Jones | Adult |
VC11 South Hampshire
| Site | Date | Quantity | Recorder | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hurn (SZ19) | 16/10/2001 | one | Mike Jeffes | Adult |
| Lymington (SZ39) | 19/12/2015 | one | Alec Harmer | Adult |
| Marchwood (SU30) | 30/09/2023 | one | Chris Thain | Adult |
| Fareham (SU50) | 01/10/2023 | one | Keith Wheeler | Adult |
VC12 North Hampshire
| Site | Date | Quantity | Recorder | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwood (SU43) | 12/10/2006 | one | Reg A Bell | Adult |
