Review of 2019 and 2020 - Moths: Noctuids (Noctuidae) part 6: Dusky Brocade to Common Rustics

NOCTUIDS (NOCTUIDAE) (continued)


Dusky Brocade Apamea remissa - Singles caught in the garden on 20th and 26th June 2020 were my first here since 8 in 2015-16.  Elsewhere 5 caught over 4 nights at our accommodation at Carsaig on Mull between 9th and 13th June 2019.

Dusky Brocades, Carsaig (Mull), 9th June 2019

Dusky Brocade, Carsaig (Mull), 13th June 2019

Dusky Brocade, North Elmham, 20th June 2020

Dusky Brocade, North Elmham, 26th June 2020

Clouded Brindle Apamea apomidion - One in the garden on 26th June 2020, my third here following individuals in 2016 and 2017.  Elsewhere one at Weybourne on 5th July 2019.

Clouded Brindle, Weybourne, 5th July 2019

Clouded Brindle, North Elmham, 26th June 2020

Clouded-bordered Brindle Apamea crenata - 2 in the garden, on 31st May and 5th June 2019.  None in 2020.  This species fluctuates quite a bit here - I had 12 in 2017 but none in 2018.  Elsewhere a total of 6 on Mull in June 2019.

Clouded-bordered Brindle, North Elmham, 31st May 2019

Clouded-bordered Brindle, Carsaig (Mull), 9th June 2019

Clouded-bordered Brindle, Carsaig (Mull), 13th June 2019

Large Nutmeg Apamea anceps - One in the garden on 21st May 2020.  I've only recorded this species at home 3 times before, in 2015, 2016 and 2018.

Large Nutmeg, North Elmham, 21st May 2020

Rustic Shoulder-knot Apamea sordens - 5 caught in the garden between 14th and 30th May 2019 and 10 between 22nd May and 12th June 2020.  8-9 is the average annual total here.  Elsewhere one at the meadows in May 2019.

Rustic Shoulder-knot (with Setaceous Hebrew Character), North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May 2019

Small Clouded Brindle Apamea unanimis - Singles caught in the garden on 31st May and 25th June 2019 and 3 between 28th June and 8th July 2020.  I've only caught this species at home in one previous year, but that year (2017) I caught 6.  Also one at the meadows.

Small Clouded Brindle, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 31st May 2019

Small Clouded Brindle, North Elmham, 31st May 2019

Small Clouded Brindle, North Elmham, 25th June 2019

Small Clouded Brindle, North Elmham, 28th June 2020

Slender Brindle Apamea unanimis - 3 singles trapped in the garden between 17th and 27th July 2019 and one on 8th July 2020.  Around 4-5 a year is average.  Elsewhere one at Bintree Wood.

Slender Brindle, North Elmham, 8th July 2020

Dark Arches Apamea monoglypha - At least 121 caught in the garden between 3rd June and 8th August 2019 (not counted on 4 dates) and 109 between 12th June and 30th August 2020.  These were just a little below average for here.  Elsewhere one next door, 25 at the meadows (including my earliest ever on 31st May 2019), one at Bintree Wood, 4 at Hellesdon, one at Brancaster and 12 at Weybourne.

Dark Arches, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 30th June 2019

Dark Arches, North Elmham, 1st July 2019

Dark Arches, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 18th June 2020

Light Arches Apamea lithoxylaea - 3 in the garden between 27th June and 9th July 2019 and one on 4th July 2020.  I'd never had less than 3 in a year before.  Elsewhere recorded at the meadows on 23rd and 30th June 2019.

Light Arches, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 23rd June 2019

Light Arches, North Elmham, 4th July 2020

Reddish Light Arches Apamea sublustris - None.  In Norfolk this species is pretty much restricted to the Brecks but there are a scattering of records elsewhere so it's not beyond the bounds of possibility that I might get a local one.


Double Lobed Lateroligia ophiogramma - 6 caught in my garden between 17th and 31st July 2019, my best year ever.  I'd not had more than 3 in a year here before and there were none in 2015.  2020 was more typical with singles on 24th June and 8th July.  Elsewhere singles at the meadows on 2 dates, 3 together at Hellesdon (my first threesome anywhere) and 2 at Weybourne on 5th July, all in 2019.

Double Lobed, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 7th July 2019

Double Lobed, North Elmham, 8th July 2020

Common Rustic Mesapamea secalis - Totals of 33 confirmed from my garden between 6th and 29th July 2019 and 63 between 17th June and 14th August 2020.  I'd averaged 70 a year over the previous 4 years but in previous years I'd gen detted nearly all of the Common Rustic aggs. whereas in 2019 I was a bit more selective.  Even so, the total number of Common Rustic aggs. in 2019 was my lowest ever so it does seem that it was a poor year for this species.  Elsewhere just one confirmed from the meadows.

 male Common Rustic, North Elmham, 13th July 2019

male Common Rustic, North Elmham, 14th July 2019

male Common Rustic, North Elmham, 16th July 2019

male Common Rustic, North Elmham, 17th July 2019

male Common Rustic, North Elmham, 18th July 2019

male Common Rustics, North Elmham, 20th July 2019

male Common Rustic, North Elmham, 21st July 2019

male Common Rustic, North Elmham, 23rd July 2019

male Common Rustic, North Elmham, 29th July 2019

male Common Rustic, North Elmham, 13th July 2020

male Common Rustic, North Elmham, 14th July 2020

female Common Rustic, North Elmham, 2nd August 2020

female Common Rustic, North Elmham, 7th August 2020

Lesser Common Rustic Mesapamea didyma - Only 4 confirmed from my garden in 2019, between 7th and 26th July.  In previous years I'd averaged over 20 a year but as more were left undetermined this year I can't be sure it was a bad year (but I think it was).  A bit better in 2020 with 12 between 6th July and 22nd August.  None elsewhere.

female Lesser Common Rustic, North Elmham, 7th July 2019

male Lesser Common Rustics, North Elmham, 23rd July 2019

male Lesser Common Rustic, North Elmham, 26th July 2019

male Lesser Common Rustic, North Elmham, 17th July 2020

female Lesser Common Rustic, North Elmham, 4th August 2020

male Lesser Common Rustic, North Elmham, 7th August 2020

Common Rustic agg. Mesapamea secalis agg. - Undetermined examples recorded in the garden on 12 dates in 2019 with at least 17 individuals (but possibly a few more as not counted on 5 dates).  Also recorded on 3 nights next door, 2 at the meadow, about 10 at Hellesdon and 2 at Weybourne.   Only one undetermined in 2020, at home.


Next page: more Noctuidae

Cherry Midget

Tuesday 4th July was a reasonably good night for moths here with over 400 moths of 98 species.  Last year's peak of 153 and 154 species on consecutive nights seems like a dream compared to this year's paltry performance.  The best of the 98 was a lifer, Cherry Midget Phyllonorycter cerasicolella, although I had seen at least one of the aggregate species pair spinicolella/cerasicolella before.  Interestingly this one didn't seem to have dark tips to the antennae as both spinicolella and cerasicolella are supposed to but unless I've missed something the female genitalia of the two are quite distinctive (compared to other Phyllonorycters - not so distinctive from one another but do-able).

Cherry Midget Phyllonorycter cerasicolella (female, gen det), North Elmham, 4th July

One other moth was new for the garden - Ochreous Pearl Anania crocealis.

Ochreous Pearl Anania crocealis, North Elmham, 4th July

A Small Rush Case-bearer Coleophora taeniipennella was only my second (my first was here last July).

Small Rush Case-bearer Coleophora taeniipennella (female, gen det), North Elmham, 4th July

Also new for the year here were White-headed Ermel Paraswammerdamia albicapitella, Base-lined Grey Scoparia basistrigalis, Beautiful China-mark Nymphula nitidulata, 2 Grey Knot-horns Acrobasis advenella, Brown-tail, 2 Yellow-tails, Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, Dun-bar, Clouded Brindle, Common Rustic and Cream-bordered Green Pea.

White-headed Ermel Paraswammerdamia albicapitella, North Elmham, 4th July

Base-lined Grey Scoparia basistrigalis (male, gen det), North Elmham, 4th July

Beautiful China-mark Nymphula nitidulata, North Elmham, 4th July

Grey Knot-horn Acrobasis advenella, North Elmham, 4th July

Brown-tail, North Elmham, 4th July

Broad-bordered Yellow Umderwing, North Elmham, 4th July

Clouded Brindle, North Elmham, 4th July

Common Rustic (male, gen det), North Elmham, 4th July

Cream-bordered Green Pea, North Elmham, 4th July

The others were Fulvous Clothes Moth Tinea semifulvella, Hawthorn Slender Parornix anglicella, 20 Bird-cherry Ermines Yponomeuta evonymella, Eastern Case-bearer Coleophora vestianella, 2 Triple-spot Dwarfs Elachista maculicerusella, 2 Brown House Moths Hofmannophila pseudospretella, 2 Burdock Nebs Metzneria lappella, Gorse Crest Brachmia blandella, London Dowd Blastobasis lacticolella, 12 Hook-marked Straw Moths Agapeta hamana, 2 Dark Fruit-tree Tortrixes Pandemis heparana, 5 Large Fruit-tree Tortrixes Archips podana, 3 Privet Tortrixes Clepsis consimilana, 7 Grey Tortrixes Cnephasia stephensiana, Barred Marble Celypha striana, 3 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Plum Tortrix Hedya pruniana, 4 Marbled Orchard Tortrixes Hedya nubiferana, 3 Triangle-marked Rollers Ancylis achatana, Holly Tortrix Rhopobota naevana, Common Cloaked Shoot Gypsonoma dealbana, White-foot Bell Epiblema foenella, 5 Hoary Bells Eucosma cana, Bud Moth Spilonota ocellana, Many-plumed Moth Alucita hexadactyla, 31 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, Grass-veneer Crambus pascuella, 3 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis, 3 Little Greys Eudonia lacustrata, Ringed China-mark Parapoynx stratiotata, 3 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, Long-winged Pearl Anania lancealis, 17 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, 2 Rosy Tabbies Endotricha flammealis, 2 White Plumes Pterophorus pentadactyla, 2 Common Plumes Emmelina monodactyla, 2 Chinese Characters, Common Emerald, Blood-vein, Small Blood-vein, 10 Small Fan-footed Waves, Dwarf Cream Wave, Small Dusty Wave, 10 Single-dotted Waves, 2 Riband Waves, Yellow Shell, Phoenix, Barred Straw, Blue-bordered Carpet, Small Rivulet, 3 V-Pugs, 2 Double-striped Pugs, 2 Clouded Borders, 4 Brimstone Moths, 8 Early Thorns, Purple Thorn, Scalloped Oak, 3 Willow Beauties, Mottled Beauty, 3 Clouded Silvers, Light Emerald, Elephant Hawk-moth, Buff-tip, Round-winged Muslin, 8 Rosy Footmen, 8 Dingy Footmen, Scarce Footman, 51 Common Footmen, 4 Buff Ermines, Short-cloaked Moth, Heart and Club, 3 Flames, 5 Double Square-spots, 2 Brown-line Bright Eyes, 9 Clays, 13 Smoky Wainscots, 3 Dark Arches, 52 Uncertains, 2 Rustics, Mottled Rustic, 3 Nut-tree Tussocks, 3 Beautiful Hook-tips, Straw Dot and 3 Fan-foots.

Long-winged Pearl Anania lancealis, North Elmham, 4th July

Blue-bordered Carpet, North Elmham, 4th July

As usual when there are a lot of moths, there was a good variety of other insects (and a Common Frog).  Mayflies were represented by Serratella ignita while Lacewings consisted of a female Conwentzia sp. (a waxfly - only male Conwentzia can be identified to species level) and the brown lacewing Hemerobius humulinus.  Caddisflies included Hydropsyche pellucidula and my second Silo pallipes.  Bugs consisted of 2 Stenotus binotatus and 5 Iassus lanio (leafhopper), the latter new for the year.

Iassus lanio, North Elmham, 4th July

Among the beetles I identified Enochrus quadripunctatus for the first time ever, 2 Aphodius rufipes, 2 Brown Chafers, Rhagonycha fulva, Orange Ladybird (new for the year) and 2 Lagria hirta.

Enochrus quadripunctatus, North Elmham, 4th July