This Australian species is presumed to have been accidentally imported into Cornwall during the early 1930s as it was found be already established at Newquay by 1936. From there it spread slowly at first but later gathering pace and it was first recorded from Yorkshire in 1991 and both Durham and Northumberland in 2003. The first Durham specimen was taken at light in Framwellgate Moor on 8th September 2003 followed by another at Stockton-on-Tees on 18th October 2003. It quickly became established and the following year there were 83 records totalling 276 individuals and numbers have increased steadily ever since and in 2023 there were 570 records of 1792 individuals making it by far the most recorded micromoth in the county. It is widespread in the east of the county where it has been recorded in every month of the year with obvious peaks in June and September but remains rare in the western dales where there have only been 5 records. The larvae have been recorded on 20 different foodplants in the county, both wild and cultivated which may go some way to explain its success.