CASE-BEARERS (COLEOPHORIDAE)
Grey Alder Case-bearer Coleophora binderella - One in the garden moth trap on 16th July 2020. I've recorded this species here twice before, in 2016 and 2018.
female Grey Alder Case-bearer Coleophora binderella, North Elmham, 16th July 2020
White-legged Case-bearer Coleophora albitarsella - One in the garden trap on 8th August 2019. This was my fourth, all since 2016. Although the tarsi have sometimes been detectably paler than the rest of the legs I don't think I've caught one that has really obvious white tarsi yet. They're quite overlookable when a bit worn and I resort to gen detting in the absence of clear white scales on the tarsi. Also an occupied larval case on Ground Ivy at the meadows on 25th October 2020 and feeding signs where one had been on another date.
female White-legged Case-bearer Coleophora albitarsella, North Elmham, 8th August 2019
feeding signs and larval case of White-legged Case-bearer Coleophora albitarsella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th October 2020
Large Clover Case-bearer Coleophora trifolii - None. I've only ever found one of these, which I caught in my next-door neighbour's garden in 2016. At least I know they're nearby - surely one will turn up in my own garden before too long?
Clover Case-bearer Coleophora alcyonipennella - One trapped here on 25th May 2019 followed by another 8 between 17th July and 30th August, then in 2020 15 between 31st July and 15th August. I've had worse years but sometimes this species is sometimes much commoner (e.g. 39 trapped here in 2018). Also trapped next door, at the meadows and at Whitwell Street (the latter being my latest in these years, 3rd September 2020). This species is now listed as grade 2, i.e. it can be recorded without gen detting, and in theory antennal structure should give away deauratella, however the deauratella I caught (confirmed by gen det) didn't show this feature very obviously, and if you want to prove the presence of frischella in Norfolk I'm not sure you'll have much chance if you simply record alcyonipennella-like moths as that without dissecting them to check. I also think it would be quite possible to mix these up with some of the other dark Coleophora that aren't usually listed as confusion species, like Dark Thistle Case-bearer Coleophora paripennella for example. Nevertheless, when I have a big backlog of moths requiring gen detting it's going to be tempting now to let some go without confirming, and indeed some of the later ones I recorded in 2019 were not checked.
male Clover Case-bearer Coleophora alcyonipennella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May 2019
male Clover Case-bearer Coleophora alcyonipennella, North Elmham, 17th July 2019
male Clover Case-bearer Coleophora alcyonipennella, North Elmham, 6th August 2019
male Clover Case-bearer Coleophora alcyonipennella, North Elmham, 1st August 2020
female Clover Case-bearer Coleophora alcyonipennella, Whitwell Street, 3rd September 2020
Spikenard Case-bearer Coleophora conyzae - One trapped at Weybourne on 5th July 2019. Although there are only a dozen records of this species in Norfolk I've trapped a couple at Weybourne before (need to look into why those records aren't showing - I thought someone else had submitted them) and also a couple here in North Elmham (2016 and 2018).
female Spikenard Case-bearer Coleophora conyzae, Weybourne, 5th July 2019
Woundwort Case-bearer Coleophora lineolea - A total of 28 trapped here between 16th June and 30th August 2019 and 13 between 12th July and 18th August 2020. 2019 was my best ever year for this species, which was previously averaging at about 15 per year. Despite being one of my commonest Coleophora here, since moving here in 2014 I've hadn't recorded it anywhere else, even at the meadows where 2 of its foodplants grow, but in 2020 I had one at Bintree Wood too (where I'd also caught it back in 2012).
male Woundwort Case-bearer Coleophora lineolea, North Elmham, 17th June 2019
female Woundwort Case-bearer Coleophora lineolea, Bintree Wood, 24th July 2020
Black-stigma Case-bearer Coleophora hemerobiella - My first and second records of this species fell in 2020, in my garden trap on 21st and 30th July. It's meant to be readily identifiable on the strength of the dark spot on its forewings but some caution is required as other species can show dark spots in a similar position due to wear, and clypeiferella seems to show this most of the time. However in reality hemerobiella really is quite distinctive, more so than I had expected, not so much because of the dark spot but the overall appearance being quite whitish on the background (so not really confusable with clypeiferella) and with a generous dusting of dark speckling covering the wings.
male Black-stigma Case-bearer Coleophora hemerobiella, North Elmham, 21st July 2020
Black-stigma Case-bearer Coleophora hemerobiella, North Elmham, 30th July 2020
Lotus Case-bearer Coleophora discordella - None. A frequently-recorded Coleophora that I haven't found yet.
Red-clover Case-bearer Coleophora deauratella - None. I've not recorded this species locally yet but with plenty of Red Clover growing at the meadows I'd have throught I must be in with a chance.
Meadow Case-bearer Coleophora mayrella - 3 in the garden between 28th June and 5th July 2019 and 6 between 15th June and 6th August 2020. 3 here in a year is below average (6-7 is average) but it wasn't quite the worst year (one in 2016). Elsewhere 2 at the meadows, one at Hellsedon and 2 at Weybourne, all between 25th May and 14th July 2019. With its white-ringed antennae this species is readily separated from other bronzy-green Coleophora.
Meadow Case-bearer Coleophora mayrella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May 2019
Meadow Case-bearer Coleophora mayrella, North Elmham, 19th June 2020
Next page: more Coleophora
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