Review of 2019 and 2020 - Leafhoppers part 7: subfamily Typhlocybinae III

LEAFHOPPERS (CICADELLIDAE) continued


SUBFAMILY TYPHLOCYBINAE (continued)


Fagocyba carri - One to light at the meadows on 7th August 2020 and one in the garden moth trap on 22nd September 2020.  None in 2019 but I caught 3 here in 2018 (and one at the meadows).  I also got round to identifying one from Wiveton Downs in 2016 which I had retained for checking (but didn't at that time know how).  The RES key seems to imply that cruenta can be yellow or brownish-grey whereas carri is always yellow, but this is at odds with my experience.  I don't think I've ever caught a cruenta that hasn't been yellow (some are strong deep yellow while others are washed out whitish yellow) but carri appears to be much more variable.  The 4 carri I found in 2018 were all yellow appearing identical to cruenta but 2 of the 3 featured here (one from 2020 and the recently-identified one from 2016) were brown, and the other one from 2020 was intermediate.  All of these brown or intermediate individuals had the pigment pretty much restricted to the top and centre of the wing, the costal region below being clear.

male Fagocyba carri, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 7th August 2020

female Fagocyba carri, North Elmham, 22nd September 2020 - showing seventh abdominal sternum and ovipositor

female Fagocyba carri, Wiveton Downs, 26th October 2016 (identified in 2021)

Fagocyba cruenta - 2 on my beach hedge on 21st June 2019 followed by a total of 9 in my moth trap up to 14th October.  A total of 12 caught in my garden moth trap between 23rd June and 7th November 2020.  Also recorded at Swanton Great Wood and Row Heath (West Runton) in late August 2019 and in Cornwall in October 2020.  Quite a bit of variation in the intensity of yellow (males may average brighter but a lot of overlap):

male Fagocyba cruenta, North Elmham, 29th June 2019

female Fagocyba cruenta, North Elmham, 10th October 2019

female Fagocyba cruenta, North Elmham, 1st October 2019

female Fagocyba cruenta, North Elmham, 14th October 2019

male Fagocyba cruenta, North Elmham, 28th June 2020

female Fagocyba cruenta, North Elmham, 23rd July 2020

Edwardsiana sp. - Another tricky genus where for the most part at least, females can't be identified.  8 females caught in my moth trap in 2019 and 3 in 2020, plus a few elsewhere.  Also 2 males I couldn't resolve as their genitalia didn't quite match any of the species.  One was probably a mal-formed rosae but the other was a complete mystery as I couldn't find its aedeagus.  The following males were satisfactorily identified.


Edwardsiana crataegi - None.  I've caught and identified this species here once, in 2018.


Edwardsiana flavescens - None.  I've caught and identified this species here once, in 2017.


Edwardsiana geometrica - None.  I've caught this relatively distinctive species here once, in 2016.


Edwardsiana lethierryi - A male caught in the garden moth trap on 29th August 2020.  I've caught this species here once before and once at the meadows, both in 2018.

male Edwardsiana lethierryi, North Elmham, 29th August 2020 - showing aedeagus at different orientations

Edwardsiana prunicola - One on willow at the Cathedral Meadows on 21st June 2019 was the first I identified of this species.

male Edwardsiana prunicola, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 21st June 2019 - showing aedeagus at different orientations

Edwardsiana rosae - A male in my moth trap on 2nd July 2019 was the first time I've identified this species in my garden although it's the Edwardsiana I've identified most often elsewhere (including one at the meadows in 2018).  3 caught in Cornwall in early October 2020 - I'd caught 3 here in 2018 too.

male Edwardsiana rosae, North Elmham, 2nd July 2019

male Edwardsiana rosae, Tresidder (Cornwall), 6th October 2020 - showing aedeagus at different orientations

male Edwardsiana rosae, Tresidder (Cornwall), 6th October 2020 - second individual

Edwardsiana spinigera - A new species for me in 2020 but 4 males caught in the garden moth trap between 1st and 16th July.

male Edwardsiana spinigera, North Elmham, 2nd July 2020

male Edwardsiana spinigera, North Elmham, 3rd July 2020 - showing aedeagus at different orientations

Edwardsiana ulmiphagus - One in my garden moth trap on 14th June 2020 was a new leafhopper for me.  It was followed by 3 in Cornwall on 6th-7th October.  This species keys to Edwardsiana hippocastani using the RES key but if I understand other sources correctly this is now known as Edwardsiana ulmiphagus.

male Edwardsiana ulmiphagus, North Elmham, 14th June 2020 - showing aedeagus at different orientations

Alnetoidea alneti - Singles in my garden moth trap on 12th July and 16th August 2019.  Athough I had seen this species before I had forgotten how similar they are to Fagocyba and Edwardsiana spp.

female Alnetoidea alneti, North Elmham, 12th July 2019

male Alnetoidea alneti, North Elmham, 16th August 2019

Arboridia ribauti - Singles in my garden moth trap on 14th August and 30th October 2020, my second and third records following one here in 2018.

Arboridia ribauti, North Elmham, 14th August 2020

Arboridia ribauti, North Elmham, 30th October 2020

Next page: more Leafhoppers plus

Bat survey results, an aberrant Rivulet and a new leafhopper

The highlight at home on 12th August was a new leafhopper, Arboridia ribauti.  It's another one where the NBN Atlas doesn't show any records from Norfolk, but this isn't a reliable indicator of status unfortunately.

Arboridia ribauti, North Elmham, 12th August

Other bugs were Hawthorn Shieldbug (new for the year at home), Birch Shieldbug and another Compsidolon salicellum.  Bradycellus verbasci and Nicrophorus investigator were the only beetles and the hoverfly Eupeodes latifasciatus was new for the year here.

The only lacewings were Dichochrysa prasina and 2 Micromus variegatus but there was a selection of caddisflies: Polycentropus flavomaculatus, 3 Hydropsyche siltalai, Limnephilus auricula, Limnephilus lunatus, Limnephilus marmoratus and Limnephilus sparsus.

None of the moths were new for the year but Beech Pigmy Stigmella hemargyrella was good.  The others were Apple Leaf-miner Lyonetia clerkella, Blackthorn Slender Parornix torquillella, Dingy Dowd Blastobasis adustella, 2 Dark Fruit-tree Tortrixes Pandemis heparana, Light Brown Apple-moth Epiphyas postvittana, Maple Button Acleris forsskaleana, 3 Garden Rose Tortrixes Acleris variegana, Barred Marble Celypha striana, Blotched Marble Endothenia quadrimaculana, Marbled Piercer Cydia splendana, 4 Straw Grass-veneers Agriphila straminella, 41 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, Ringed China-mark Parapoynx stratiotata, 9 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, Wax Moth Galleria mellonella, 2 Grey Knot-horns Acrobasis advenella, 2 Common Plumes Emmelina monodactyla, Orange Swift, Single-dotted Wave, Red Twin-spot Carpet, Common Carpet, Double-striped Pug, Scorched Carpet, Brimstone Moth, 2 Willow Beauties, Dingy Footman, Shuttle-shaped Dart, 3 Flame Shoulders, 2 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwings, 2 Square-spotted Clays, Six-striped Rustic, Cabbage Moth, Antler Moth, Common Wainscot, Straw Underwing, 4 Flounced Rustics, Spectacle and 4 Straw Dots.

Beech Pigmy Stigmella hemargyrella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 12th August

Perhaps the most unusual moth the following night was a Rivulet.  Not because they're rare here (though they are quite uncommon - not quite annual) but because it had an unusual extent of white on its forewings.  With a 15mm forewing there wasn't much doubt about its identity but given its unusual appearance I did check its genitalia just to make sure.

oddly-patterned female Rivulet, North Elmham, 13th August

The following night Elbow-stripe Grass-veneer Agriphila geniculea was new for the year.  It must have been a record night for Agriphila species with 5 different species (the others being Pale-streak Grass-veneer Agriphila selasella, 3 Straw Grass-veneers Agriphila straminella, 58 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella and Barred Grass-veneer Agriphila inquinatella, the latter less than annual here).

Elbow-stripe Grass-veneer Agriphila geniculea, North Elmham, 13th August

Barred Grass-veneer Agriphila inquinatella, North Elmham, 13th August

The other moths that night were 2 Ermine sp. Yponomeuta padella/malinellus/cagnagella, Diamond-back Plutella xylostella, 2 Dingy Dowds Blastobasis adustella, Light Brown Apple-moth Epiphyas postvittana, 4 Garden Rose Tortrixes Acleris variegana, Barred Marble Celypha striana, 2 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, 2 Blotched Marbles Endothenia quadrimaculana, 3 Garden Pebbles Evergestis forficalis, Pale Straw Pearl Udea lutealis, 3 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla, Orange Swift, Blood-vein, Riband Wave, Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet, 2 Common Carpets, Tawny Speckled Pug, 2 Double-striped Pugs, Yellow-barred Brindle, Latticed Heath, 4 Brimstone Moths, 3 Dusky Thorns, Willow Beauty, 3 Poplar Hawk-moths, Shuttle-shaped Dart, Flame Shoulder, 2 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwings, 2 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, 3 Square-spotted Clays, 3 Six-striped Rustics, Cabbage Moth, 3 Straw Underwings, 12 Flounced Rustics, Vine's Rustic and 5 Straw Dots.

Blotched Marble Endothenia quadrimaculana, North Elmham, 13th August

Latticed Heath, North Elmham, 13th August

3 Pond Olives Cloeon dipterum were the only mayflies and the caddisflies were 3 Hydropsyche siltalai, Mottled Sedge Glyphotaelius pellucidus and Limnephilus lunatus.

There were 4 Forest Bugs and the only bug was new for the year, Phytocoris tiliae.

Phytocoris tiliae, North Elmham, 13th August

Beetles were 6 Bradycellus verbasci and an Aphodius rufipes.  The only other insects I recorded were 2 Hornets.

Early the following morning I went to the meadows to collect the bat detector equipment I left at the meadows overnight for the final one of six nights recording.  This was part of the Norfolk Bat Survey programme and after analysing my recordings they told me what species I had recorded.  They gave me a host of information and a very intrestesting breakdown of the number of passes of each species each night, but in summary the following speceis were recorded, with the numbers being the number of passes the bats made past the recording equipment:

1. Whiskered/Brandt's Bat Myotis mystacinus/brandti 1
2. Daubenton's Bat Myotis daubentonii 20
3. Natterer's Bat Myotis nattererii 25 (also another 15 unidentified Myotis sp.)
4. Leisler's Bat Nyctalus leisleri 3
5. Noctule Nyctalus noctula 13 (also another 4 unidentified Nyctalus sp.)
6. Common Pipistrelle Pipistrellus pipistrellus 306
7. Soprano Pipistrelle Pipistrellus pygmaeus 625 (also another 155 unidentified Pipistrelles)
8. Serotine Eptesicus serotinus 64
9. Barbastelle Barbastella barbastellus 6
10. Brown Long-eared Bat Plecotus aruitus 35

So a total of 1272 recordings about half of which were Soprana Pipistrelles and a further quarter of which were Common Pipistrelles.  But particularly interesting to me was the variety of other species recorded.  The single Whiskered/Brandt's Bat was a good one.  These two species can't be separated acoustically so most records are lumped as either-or.  There are only a scattering of records across the county, with just 13 records in 2017 (when there was very good coverage thanks to the bat survey).  Leisler's Bat was also good to find, with the three passes all from different fields on different nights.  This is mainly a Breckland species, particularly scarce elsewhere in Norfolk.

Excluding one that hasn't been recorded in Norfolk since the 1950s and one migrant species that only occurs here as a rare vagrant, there is only one other species of bat that occurs in Norfolk, the Nathusius's Pipistrelle which is mainly found in the Broads and would be quite unexpected here in mid Norfolk I think (at least there were no records anywhere near here in 2017).  So a much better result than expected and really as good as could possibly have been hoped for.

Anyway, although that was as good a time as any to give you the results of the bat survey, the point of me starting to write about collecting the equipment was to introduce this leafhopper nymph that was on top of the bat detector box when I collected it on 14th August.  Given its yellow colouration I imagined it would be one of the Fagocyba or Edwardsiana species, but it subsequently moulted and proved to be a female Kybos sp., either Kybos virgator, strigilifer or perhaps calyculus (females cannot be fully identified).

Kybos sp. nymph, North Elmham, 13th August