Common Name: Goat Moth
Species Name: Cossus cossus
Description: A large heavy silvery grey moth unlike any other British moth. Very scarce and declining. The larvae develops under the bark of a variety of tree species but usually where the trees are seasonally flooded. The adult is on the wing in June and July but they seldom come to light traps.
Conservation Designation & UK Status: Nationally Scarce category B, Widespread, NBN Map
Status in Hastings: Very rarely recorded in Hastings, and only from Hastings Country Park Nature Reserve. The latest record was of a larva at Firehills, Hastings Country Park Nature Reserve in 2008.
Factors Affecting Status: The loss of woodland that seasonally floods. This type of habitat is scarce in Hastings and only really occurs within Combe Haven Valley, South Saxons Wetlands and the disused quarry at Warren Glen, Hastings Country Park Nature Reserve.
Conservation Action: Searches for larval borings at suitable sites within Hastings should be undertaken especially within Warren Glen to try and find and protect host trees.
