UKMoths 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.
16.004 BF427
Spindle Ermine Yponomeuta cagnagella
(Hübner, [1813])
Wingspan 19-26 mm.
Very similar to several other Yponomeuta species, some sources suggest it can be distinguished by the pure white terminal cilia on the forewings, as opposed to greyish for other species. However, this is not a reliable feature and the only way to positively make an identification is by rearing from the foodplant, or by DNA analysis.
It is fairly common throughout Britain except in the far north, occupying chalk or limestone districts.
The foodplant, as the vernacular name suggests, is spindle (Euonymus europaeus), the larvae feeding gregariously in a silken web. Occasionally entire bushes or sections of hedgerows are taken over by the larvae and their web, causing defoliation.
More images
