First Sighting of Robust Tabby Moth Recorded in Channel Islands

Wildlife experts consider the recent observation of a new moth species on Alderney to be the first recorded instance for the Channel Islands. Lou Collings, who leads the Alderney Wildlife Trust’s (AWT) moth monitoring team, documented the Robust Tabby moth (Pandesma robusta) in October. The AWT, a charity, stated that the Robust Tabby, a species belonging to the Erebidae family, typically inhabits a broad region spanning from Asia across Africa to the Mediterranean, reaching as far north as Spain and Portugal. The AWT described the moth’s presence in Alderney as “intriguing” and suggested it might have been carried off its customary path by recent strong southerly winds. The trust also mentioned that previous rare sightings in the UK have occurred when these moths were inadvertently transported within fruit shipments. Furthermore, it indicated that the Robust Tabby is “unlikely to establish itself as an invasive species”.