Description


A diary of my mothing activity covering highlights and photos from my moth trapping activities. Mainly Norfolk (UK), occasionally beyond. I may mention other wildlife sightings here, especially insects, but for birds see my birding diary.

Friday 30 November 2018

My first Scale-tooth Lance-wing (Phaulernis dentella)

Just two new moths for the year again on 4th June: Blotched Marble Endothenia quadrimaculana and Common Footman.

Blotched Marble Endothenia quadrimaculana, North Elmham, 4th June


Other moths consisted of Carrion Moth Monopis weaverella, 2 Light Brown Apple-moths Epiphyas postvittana, Common Marble Celypha lacunana, Rush Marble Bactra lancealana, Yellow-faced Bell Notocelia cynosbatella, 3 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, 2 Hook-streak Grass-veneers Crambus lathoniellus, Narrow-winged Grey Eudonia angustea, Small Magpie Anania hortulata, Common Swift, Pebble Hook-tip, Blood-vein, 2 Treble Brown Spots, 7 Silver-ground Carpets, 4 Green Carpets, 2 Common Pugs, 2 Grey Pugs, Light Emerald, Orange Footman, White Ermine, 4 Buff Ermines, 2 Cinnabars, 6 Heart and Darts, 2 Flame Shoulders, Large Yellow Underwing, 2 Ingrailed Clays, Bright-line Brown-eye, Common Wainscot, 3 Brown Rustics, Middle-barred Minor, 5 Treble Lines, Vine's Rustic, 2 Mottled Rustics and 8 Straw Dots.


Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana, North Elmham, 4th June


Just one caddisfly (Limnephilus lunatus) and one bug, but the latter was new for the house: Psallus perrisi.

Psallus perrisi (male, gen det), North Elmham, 4th June


A poor night on 5th June produced one nice new moth for the year, Brindled Tortrix Ptycholoma lecheana - only my second here and a species I don't see often anywhere.

Bridled Tortrix Ptycholoma lecheana, North Elmham, 5th June


Apart from that there was just White-shouldered House Moth Endrosis sarcitrella, London Dowd Blastobasis lacticolella, Common Marble Celypha lacunana, Plum Tortrix Hedya pruniana, Rush Marble Bactra lancealana, Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteuchia culmella, 2 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis, 6 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, 5 Silver-ground Carpets, 5 Common Marbled Carpets, Green Carpet, 2 Common Pugs, Grey Pug, 2 Light Emeralds, Eyed Hawk-moth, 2 Common Footmen, 3 White Ermines, 3 Buff Ermines, 2 Cinnabars, Heart and Dart, Small Square-spot, Shears, 2 Common Wainscots, Brown Rustic, Middle-barred Minor, 5 Treble Lines, 2 Straw Dots and the caddisfly Limnephilus sparsus.

Next day another wander round the Cathedral Meadows provided a good haul of invertebrates including no less than four lifers.  My visits to the meadows this year have been very rewarding with lots of species I had not previously identified, but most of these come from groups that I haven't studied much.  I've seen some good moths here, but between late April when I started and late November when I'm writing this only two moths have been entirely new for me.  One of these was on 6th June, netted along the track - a Scale-tooth Lance-wing Phaulernis dentella.


Scale-tooth Lnace-wing Phaulernis dentella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 6th June


Other moths were 3 Yellow-barred Long-horns Nemophora degeerella, 6 Common Nettle-taps Anthophila fabriciana, Plum Tortrix Hedya pruniana, 2 Pea Moths Cydia nigricana, 4 Hook-streak Grass-veneers Crambus lathoniellus, Yellow Shell and Green Carpet; also the leaf-cone of Common Slender Gracillaria syringella.

Pea Moth Cydia nigricana, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 6th June


Other bits and pieces included Banded Demoiselle, Dark Bush-cricket nymph, the Scorpion Fly Panorpa communis, Garden Chafer, the soldier beetle Cantharis livida, 7-spot Ladybird, the hoverlfly Volucella bombylans, the sawfly Tenthredo arcuata, Red-tailed Bumblebee, Strawberry Snail and Garden Snail.  Another bee keyed out as Broad-margined Mining Bee Andrena synadelph, a new species for me.


Broad-margined Mining Bee Andrena synadelph, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 6th June


Volucella bombylans, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 6th June


This fly turned out to be a Marsh Snipefly Rhagio tringarius, a species that I've probably seen before but hadn't previously identified.

Marsh Snipefly Rhagio tringarius, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 6th June


This rather attractive Cucumber Spider appears to be Twin Cucumber Spider Araniella opisthographa if I'm not mistaken.  I find it pretty hard to see the relevant details that enable identification of these spiders, even under a microscope, but this one seemed to fit oposthographa best I think.


Twin Cucumber Spider Araniella opisthographa, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 6th June


Found another Common Clothes Moth Tineola bisselliella when I got home.  New for the year that night were Barred Marble Celypha striana and Little Grey Eudonia lacustrata, and there was also Diamond-back Plutella xylostella, Brown House Moth Hofmannophila pseudospretella, London Dowd Blastobasis lacticolella, 3 Light Brown Apple-moths Epiphyas postvittana, 2 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Plum Tortrix Hedya pruniana, Yellow-faced Bell Notocelia cynosbatella, 3 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, Common Grey Scoparia ambigualis, 2 Narrow-winged Greys Eudonia angustea, Garden Pebble Evergestis forficalis, 4 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, Bee Moth Aphomia sociella, Treble Brown Spot, 5 Silver-ground Carpets, 3 Common Marbled Carpets, Green Carpet, Freyer's Pug, 5 Common Pugs, Brimstone Moth, 3 Light Emeralds, Eyed Hawk-moth, Buff-tip, Orange Footman, Common Footman, 4 White Ermines, 13 Buff Ermines, 3 Cinnabars, Heart and Dart, Ingrailed Clay, Small Square-spot, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Shears, 4 Common Wainscots, 2 Brown Rustics, Middle-barred Minor, 2 Treble Lines, Silver Y, Spectacle, Straw Dot and the caddisflies Plectrocnemia conspersa and 2 Limnephilus lunatus.

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