The Cairngorms are popular with netted mountain moths

The netted mountain moths, of which there are about 300 in the UK, were found in the Cairngorms at 2,300ft.

The UK distribution of the moth is centred on the Cairngorms, although there are other sites in Moray, Easter Ross and northern Perthshire.

The finely-marked species is only found where bearberry, the food plant of caterpillars, grows.

Tom Prescott, conservation adviser for Butterfly Conservation Scotland, said: "The netted mountain moth is very fussy and the caterpillar only eats this one particular plant.

"The bearberry grows on moorland, which is why the netted mountain moths can be found in the Cairngorms.

"They are sooty black with fine, white-grey markings, and they hold their wings very similar to that of a butterfly."

Research planned

The new sites were found by moth enthusiasts who searched for new colonies as part of National Moth Night on 22 May.

Butterfly Conservation Scotland is now planning to undertake research this summer to determine the optimum conditions for the netted mountain moths' larvae.

This would help them instruct landowners on how to manage their land more sympathetically for the species.

There are more than 2,500 moth species in the British Isles, some of which have flown from as far away as Africa.