Scarce Chocolate-tip (Clostera anachoreta)

Scarce Chocolate-tip Clostera anachoreta (2018, 71.029) is a nationally rare resident and suspected migrant. It is a red data book species and is largely confined to South-east Kent. There have been a few records from Essex, Suffolk and Dorset.

Pre 2000 the only known breeding colony was at Dungeness, which had the only records in the 1970’s and 80’s. It was recorded annually in the 1990’s mainly at Dungeness with none recorded at Sandwich or Ramsgate. However, as can be seen from the distribution map below, the distribution in Kent since 2000 has spread to include Sandwich and Ramsgate. Since then the numbers recorded at Sandwich have matched those at Dungeness (approximately 40 in total).

The total count from 1900 – 1999 is similar to the total count since 2000, approximately 120.