Review of 2019 and 2020 - Moths: Gelechiids (Gelechiidae) (Part 7: Groundlings - subfamily Gelechiinae III)

GELECHIIDS (GELECHIIDAE) (continued)


Subfamily GELECHIINAE (continued)


Common Groundling Teleiodes vulgella - Singles in the garden trap on 5 nights between 4th and 25th July 2019.  This species is just about annual here but although I had 6 in 2018 previous year totals had ranged from 1-3.  2020 was back down again with just one on 17th July.

Common Groundling Teleiodes vulgella, North Elmham, 25th July 2019

Crescent Groundling Teleiodes luculella - One here on 1st June 2019 was only my second record for the garden following one in 2015

Crescent Groundling Teleiodes luculella, North Elmham, 1st June 2019

Large Groundling Teleiopsis diffinis - Singles here on 28th August and 5th September 2019 and 31st July 2020.  This was a welcome (and I think overdue?) addition to my garden list.  Also one at Bintree Wood on 13th June 2020.

Large Groundling Teleiopsis diffinis, North Elmham, 28th August 2019

Large Groundling Teleiopsis diffinis, North Elmham, 5th September 2019

Large Groundling Teleiopsis diffinis, North Elmham, 31st July 2020

Elm Groundling Carpatolechia fugitivella - One in the garden trap on 17th July 2019 was my second record of this species following one here in 2015.  The 2015 record was the first post 19th century record for Norfolk but there have been nearly 20 since.

male Elm Groundling Carpatolechia fugitivella, North Elmham, 17th July 2019

Suffused Groundling Carpatolechia alburnella - One in my garden moth trap on 29th June 2020.  This was my first here and only my second anywhere.

Suffused Groundling Carpatolechia alburnella, North Elmham, 29th June 2020

Black-speckled Groundling Carpatolechia proximella - None.  I've had just a single record here, in 2015.


Horse-shoe Groundling Altenia scriptella - One in the garden moth trap on 21st May 2020 was a completely new moth for me.

Horse-shoe Groundling Altenia scriptella, North Elmham, 21st May 2020

White-barred Groundling Recurvaria leucatella - Another new moth for me caught in the garden on 6th August 2020.

White-barred Groundling Recurvaria leucatella, North Elmham, 6th August 2020

Pine Groundling Exoteleia dodecella - None.  I've only had one of these here, in 2017.


Black-dotted Groundling Stenolechia gemmella - 2019 was a good year for this species in Norfolk enabling me to see not only my first, but also my second and third, all at different locations.  The first was in my garden trap on 26th August, the second was the following evening at Swanton Great Wood and then there was one at Row Heath (West Runton) later that week on 31st.

Black-dotted Groundling Stenolechia gemmella, North Elmham, 26th August 2019

Wood Groundling Parachronistis albiceps - One in the garden trap on 26th June 2020.  I had 3 of these here in 2018 but I've not recorded this species in the garden any other year.

Wood Groundling Parachronistis albiceps, North Elmham, 26th June 2020

Next page: Batrachedridae plus

Carpatolechia fugitivella - first modern county record

On Thursday 25th June I caught 82 species of moth at home.  I've only just finished sorting out those that needed dissections and among these was a Gelechiid I didn't recognise.  I eventually narrowed it down to the genus Carpatolechia and found two species that can share the general appearance.  I came across a similar fugitivella first and the description in MOGBI checked out perfectly.  In particular its closest confusion species (notalella) was easily eliminated because notalella lacks the scale tufts that were evident on mine.  But fugitivella hasn't been recorded in Norfolk since the 1800s so I needed to check other species more carefully.  In doing so I came across a picture of decorella which looked extremely similar.  The references seem to think this species is easily identified by a dark bar on the costa near the base.  Well mine had a small oblong dark mark along the costa near the base, but it didn't look quite as long as supposed to be shown by decorella - and fuitivella also shows a dark spot here, so I wasn't quite sure.  The detailed description of decorella in MOGBI seemed to have some anomalies, like mine didn't show furrows on segment 2 of the labial palpus when viewed through the microscope.  Fortunately the genitalia diagrams here and on the Dissection Group looked significantly different, at least in one respect (very long processes reaching the tip of the uncus in fugitivella) and on dissection mine matched Elm Groundling Carpatolechia fugitivella perfectly, the first Norfolk record for 116 years!  Shame this insect had been too active to let me photograph it out of the pot - here's the best I could manage while it was alive...

Elm Groundling Carpatolechia fugitivella, North Elmham, 25th June

And for those who do dissections, here are its bits.  You can see one of the long processes left of the uncus but the other one broke off during preparation.

Elm Groundling Carpatolechia fugitivella (male genitalia), North Elmham, 25th June

Nothing else terribly exciting among the rest of the catch, though several new for the year for the house: White Sallow Case-bearer Coleophora albidella (gen det), Black-headed Dwarf Elachista atricomella, 2 Flax Tortrices Cnephasia asseclana, 3 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, Grass-veneer Crambus pascuella, 2 Water Veneers Acentria ephemerella, Marsh Grey Eudonia pallida, Yellow Shell, 3 Double Square-spots, Poplar Grey and 2 Small Fan-foots.

 White Sallow Case-bearer Coleophora albidella (male gen det), North Elmham, 25th June

Black-headed Dwarf Elachista atricomella, North Elmham, 25th June

Flax Tortrix Cnephasia asseclana (female, gen det), North Elmham, 25th June

Yellow Shell, North Elmham, 25th June

Double Square-spot, North Elmham, 25th June

Poplar Grey, North Elmham, 25th June

Small Fan-foot, North Elmham, 25th June

Plenty more to keep me busy!  The other macros were Common Swift, 2 Dwarf Cream Waves, 3 Treble Brown Spots, 2 Riband Waves, Large Twin-spot Carpet, Silver-ground Carpet, Garden Carpet, Common Marbled Carpet, Green Carpet, Sharp-angled Carpet, Sandy Carpet, 2 Mottled Pugs, 3 Common Pugs, Grey Pug, Green Pug, Clouded Border, 2 Scorched Wings, 6 Brimstone Moths, Peppered Moth, 8 Willow Beauties, Common White Wave, Clouded Silver, 3 Light Emeralds, Elephant Hawkmoth, Coxcomb Prominent, Marbled Brown, Buff-tip, Orange Footman, 9 Common Footmen, White Ermine, 6 Buff Ermines, 3 Cinnabars, Heart and Club, 2 Flame Shoulders, 2 Large Yellow Underwings, 2 Ingrailed Clays, Bright-line Brown-eye, Lychnis, Clay, 3 Common Wainscots, Shoulder-striped Wainscot, 7 Brown Rustics, 2 Dark Arches, Marbled Minor (gen det), 8 Middle-barred Minors, 4 Treble Lines, 4 Uncertains, Mottled Rustic, 2 Beautiful Hook-tips, 10 Straw Dots and 2 Snouts. 

Coxcomb Prominent, North Elmham, 25th June

And the other micros were 2 Cypress Tip Moths Argyresthia cupressella, Common Rush Case-bearer Coleophora alticolella (gen det), Buff Rush Case-bearer Coleophora caespititiella (gen det), Brown House-moth Hofmannophila pseudospretella, Cinereous Groundling Bryotropha terrella, 2 Hook-marked Straw Moths Agapeta hamana, Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix Pandemis cerasana, Large Fruit-tree Tortrix Archips podana, Privet Tortrix Clepsis consimilana, 2 Barred Marbles Celypha striana, 7 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, 2 Plum Tortrices Hedya pruniana, 2 Marbled Orchard Tortrices Hedya nubiferana, Triple-blotched Bell Notocelia trimaculana, Red Piercer Lathronympha strigana, 6 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis, 4 Little Greys Eudonia lacustrata, Small Magpie Eurrhypara hortulata and 3 Bee Moths Aphomia sociella.

Common Rush Case-bearer Coleophora alticolella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 25th June