Review of 2019 and 2020 - Moths: Poplar and Pine Cosmets (Batrachedridae) and Case-bearers (Coleophoridae) (Part 1)

POPLAR & PINE COSMETS (BATRACHEDRIDAE)


Poplar Cosmet Batrachedra praeangusta - 2 in my garden trap on 23rd July 2019 and one on 29th July 2020.  Also one at Swanton Great Wood on 27th August 2019.  I had never seen this species until 2018 when I recorded 3 at home and one elsewhere - is this species suddenly increasing, or has it just enjoyed a couple of good years, or is it just coincidence?

Poplar Cosmet Batrachedra praeangusta, North Elmham, 29th July 2020

Pine Cosmet Batrachedra pinicolella - One in the garden on 24th June 2020.  This species has seen a massive upsurge in records in recent years starting with one at my old house in 2013, the first county record for 129 years!  I caught them here in North Elmham in 2015, 2016 and 3 times in 2017 but although records across the county continued to increase I then had a couple of blank years in 2018-19.

Pine Cosmet Batrachedra pinicolella, North Elmham, 24th June 2020

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CASE-BEARERS (COLEOPHORIDAE)

4 new species for the garden in 2019 (including one that was completely new for me) and another completely new one in 2020 brought my garden Coleophora list up to 43.


Silver-streaked Case-bearer Coleophora limoniella - None in 2019 but 20 swept from a single Sea Lavendar plant at Brancaster on 2nd July 2020.  One at home in 2018 was quite unexpected given that this saltmarsh species hadn't turned up inland in Norfolk prior to that year.  I don't expect a repeat anytime soon.


Common Oak Case-bearer Coleophora lutipennella - 3 in my garden trap between 10th and 22nd July 2019, a slightly below average year for this species, and then 4 between 29th June and 6th August 2020.  Also 3 at the meadows (26th July 2019 and 18th July and 7th August 2020) and one at Bintree Wood.  These are always dissected to confirm ID - I'm yet to find any features that are even indicative of this species rather than the similarly common flavipennella.

male Common Oak Case-bearer Coleophora lutipennella, North Elmham, 10th July 2019

male Common Oak Case-bearer Coleophora lutipennella, North Elmham, 29th June 2020

female Common Oak Case-bearer Coleophora lutipennella, North Elmham, 6th August 2020

Rose Case-bearer Coleophora gryphipennella - None.  I've only had one of these here (and anywhere) so far, in 2018.


Tipped Oak Case-bearer Coleophora flavipennella - One at the meadows on 7th July 2019 followed by 5 in the garden trap between 8th and 22nd July and then another 5 in 2020, between 16th June and 7th July.  Fairly typical years for this species which seems to be a little bit commoner than lutipennella (from which separation requires gen detting).

male Tipped Oak Case-bearer Coleophora flavipennella , North Elmham, 20th July 2019

male Tipped Oak Case-bearer Coleophora flavipennella , North Elmham, 16th June 2020

male Tipped Oak Case-bearer Coleophora flavipennella , North Elmham, 22nd June 2020

Buff Birch Case-bearer Coleophora milvipennis - None.  I've had just one record of this species here, in 2016.  It's tricky species to identify even with reference to the genitalia - my 2016 record required input from an international expert to confirm.


Pale Elm Case-bearer Coleophora badiipennella - None.  I've only had one of these here too, in 2015.


Dark Elm Case-bearer Coleophora limosipennella - None.  One of the more widespread and well-recorded Coleophora that I've not yet recorded.


Blackthorn Case-bearer Coleophora coracipennella - A female caught here on 23rd July 2019, my second record following one in 2017.  None in 2020.  Described as rare, although there have been a few recent records so I suspect it's more a case of being under-recorded.

female Blackthorn Case-bearer Coleophora coracipennella, North Elmham, 23rd July 2019

Common Case-bearer Coleophora serratella - Adults trapped at home on 23rd July 2019 and 26th and 31st July 2020.  Cases found at the meadows on Downy Birch on 26th April 2019 and Rough Chervil on 3rd June 2020, the latter causing me an ID challenge as Rough Chervil doesn't have any Coleophora listed as occurring on it, but thanks to Keith and Rob who pointed out that some Coleophora (especially this one) wander from their foodplants in order to pupate.  Although this is supposed to be the commonest of all the Coleophora I didn't find my first until 2018 (when I caught 4, including 3 here).

occupied case of Common Case-bearer Coleophora serratella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 26th April 2019

female Common Case-bearer Coleophora serratella, North Elmham, 23rd July 2019

case of Common Case-bearer Coleophora serratella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd June 2020

male Common Case-bearer Coleophora serratella, North Elmham, 26th July 2020

female Common Case-bearer Coleophora serratella, North Elmham, 31st July 2020

Apple & Plum Case-bearer Coleophora spinella - 4 trapped at home between 12th and 23rd July 2019 and 3 between 3rd and 17th July 2020.  4 is the most I've had here in a year - 2 is more typical.  Also a case that I think was probably this species on Hawthorn at the meadows on 15th May 2019.

probable case of Apple & Plum Case-bearer Coleophora spinella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 15th May 2019

female Apple & Plum Case-bearer Coleophora spinella, North Elmham, 12th July 2019

female Apple & Plum Case-bearer Coleophora spinella, North Elmham, 3rd July 2020

male Apple & Plum Case-bearer Coleophora spinella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 13th July 2020

Scarce Thorn Case-bearer Coleophora trigeminella - None.  I had 2 here on one night in 2017, the year I recorded Norfolk's second, third, fourth and fifth records of this species.  There have been others since so a repeat wouldn't be altogether unexpected.


Osier Case-bearer Coleophora lusciniaepennella - One caught at home on 23rd June 2019 and one at Weybourne on 5th July.  None in 2020.  I've had 3 previous records here (2015 and 2017).

female Osier Case-bearer Coleophora lusciniaepennella, Weybourne, 5th July 2019

Violet Case-bearer Coleophora violacea - None.  Although there aren't large numbers of records of this species it must be fairly high up on the list of next most likely candidates to be added to my Coleophora list.


Shaded Case-bearer Coleophora potentillae - None.  Another one that I haven't seen yet but must have a good chance of cropping up here.  So far the nearest I've got is seeing its feeding signs.


Next page: more Coleophora

Chestnut Pigmy and Oak Eggar

After a poor night on 13th July things got back on track on 14th with 93 species of moth.  One of these was a new one for me, Chestnut Pigmy Stigmella samiatella.

Chestnut Pigmy Stigmella samiatella (female, gen det), North Elmham, 14th July

Another was new for the house: Pistol Case-bearer Coleophora anatipennella.

Pistol Case-bearer Coleophora anatipennella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 14th July

A Grey Alder Case-bearer Coleophora binderella was only my second ever, following one here in 2016.

Grey Alder Case-bearer Coleophora binderella (female, gen det), North Elmham, 14th July

A Plum Fruit Moth Grapholita funebrana was another species I had only previously seen in 2016, though I did catch 6 of them that year.

Plum Fruit Moth Grapholita funebrana (male, gen det), North Elmham, 14th July

A White-bodied Conch Cochylis hybridella was also only my second here.

White-bodied Conch Cochylis hybridella, North Elmham, 14th July

A further 5 were new for the year here: Garden Midget Phyllonorycter messaniella, Apple & Plum Case-bearer Coleophora spinella, Grey Rush Case-bearer Coleophora glaucicolella, Oak Eggar and Maple Pug.

Garden Midget Phyllonorycter messaniella, North Elmham, 14th July

Apple & Plum Case-bearer Coleophora spinella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 14th July

Oak Eggar, North Elmham, 14th July

Maple Pug (male, gen det), North Elmham, 14th July

A Wood Groundling Parachronistis albiceps was my third here this year, surprisingly for a species I had not seen in my garden until this year.

The rest of the moths were Hazel Slender Parornix devoniella, 2 Beech Midgets Phyllonorycter maestingella, 9 Bird-cherry Ermines Yponomeuta evonymella, Hawthorn Ermine Paraswammerdamia nebulella, 2 Meadow Case-bearers Coleophora mayrella, Golden-brown Tubic Crassa unitella, 3 Brown House Moths Hofmannophila pseudospretella, 3 Long-horned Flat-bodies Carcina quercana, Burdock Neb Metzneria lappella, 2 Cinerous Nebs Bryotropha terrella, Dingy Dowd Blastobasis adustella, Plain Conch Phtheochroa inopiana, Common Yellow Conch Agapeta hamana, Privet Tortrix Clepsis consimilana, 2 Red-barred Tortrixes Ditula angustiorana, Grey Tortrix Cnephasia stephensiana, Flax Tortrix Cnephasia asseclana, Dover Shade Cnephasia genitalana, Garden Rose Tortrix Acleris variegana, 5 Barred Marbles Celypha striana, 2 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Marbled Orchard Tortrix Hedya nubiferana, 2 Nut-bud Moths Epinotia tenerana, Holly Tortrix Rhopobota naevana, 2 Common Cloaked Shoots Gypsonoma dealbana, 3 Hoary Bells Eucosma cana, 3 Many-plume Moths Alucita hexadactyla, 12 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, 2 Inlaid Grass-veneers Crambus pascuella, 48 Straw Grass-veneers Agriphila straminella, 3 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, Pearl Grass-veneer Catoptria pinella, 2 Small Greys Eudonia mercurella, Small Magpie Anania hortulata, 18 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, 3 Grey Knot-horns Acrobasis advenella, 2 Common Plumes Emmelina monodactyla, Buff Arches, 4 Least Carpets, 11 Small Fan-footed Waves, 3 Dwarf Cream Waves, 12 Single-dotted Waves, Treble Brown Spot, 8 Riband Waves, Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet, Shaded Broad-bar, Common Carpet, V-Pug, 2 Double-striped Pugs, Clouded Border, Brimstone Moth, 4 Early Thorns, 2 Willow Beauties, Mottled Beauty, Elephant Hawk-moth, 2 Yellow-tails, Round-winged Muslin, Rosy Footman, 16 Dingy Footmen, 19 Common Footmen, 3 Buff Ermines, Cinnabar, Heart and Club, 2 Flame Shoulders, 4 Double Square-spots, Dot Moth, 2 Bright-line Brown-eyes, Clay, 3 Smoky Wainscots, 2 Dun-bars, 2 Dark Arches, Slender Brindle, 2 Common Rustics, 4 Lesser Common Rustics (and another Common Rustic agg.), 3 Dusky Sallows, 18 Uncertains, 3 Rustics, 3 Mottled Rustics, 3 Nut-tree Tussocks, Straw Dot, Snout and Fan-foot.

There was a good range of other insects too.  Mayflies consisted of Pond Olive Cloeon dipterum, Green Drake Ephemera danica and 4 Blue-winged Olives Serratella ignita.  The brown lacewing Hemerobius micans was only my second here and there was a good selection of caddisflies: Oxyethira flavicornis, 2 Hydropsyche siltalai, Mottled Sedge Glyphotaelius pellucidus, Limnephilus auricula, Limnephilus flavicornis, 2 Leptocerus tineiformis and Grouse Wing Mystacides longicornis. Mirid bugs were Phylus palliceps and Stenotus binotatus, the latter new for the year, and beetles comprised 2 Hydrobius fuscipes, 2 Nicrophorus investigator, Rhagonycha fulva and Lagria hirta.

Ringstead moths

On Saturday 24th June I popped in to Ryburgh where there was Stoat, Banded Demoiselle, Black-tailed Skimmer, Cinnabar and lots of butterflies including Ringlet and Large Skippers.

That evening I joined the Norfolk Moth Survey at Courtyard Farm, Ringstead.  I was looking forward to this as I'd explored some of the public footpaths round the area during my lunchbreaks when I worked nearby and seen a good variety of day-flying moths and butterflies.  After a bit of faffing we eventually decided to set up on the north side of the farm where there is some great meadow habitat.  After a technical hitch with the generator (thanks to Gary for sorting it out - slightly embarrassing that I hadn't turned the fuel on) we got going, and it proved very interesting.

For some the highlight was probably the 6 (or so) Royal Mantles and there were plenty of other distinctive macros for folk who don't do micros and pugs! 2 Ghost Moths, 2 Leopard Moths, Drinker, 2 Peach Blossoms, 3 Buff Arches, Purple Bar, 2 Barred Yellows, Blue-bordered Carpet, Sharp-angled Carpet, Latticed Heath, 4 Swallow-tailed Moths, Privet Hawk-moth, Elephant Hawk-moth, Small Elephant Hawk-moth, Iron Prominent, Coxcomb Prominent, Lobster Moth, 6 Rosy Footmen, Ruby Tiger, Short-cloaked Moth, Marbled Coronet, Burnished Brass, Beautiful Golden Y, Blackneck and 4 Beautiful Hook-tips to name a few (as always with these outings, the numbers are just as many as I can remember the next day - there were probably much higher numbers of some of these).

Royal Mantle, Ringstead, 24th June

A Dark Umber was perhaps less impressive, especially in its worn state, and what was for me the best macro went completely undetected until I dissected it - a Yarrow Pug, a new species for me.

Yarrow Pug (female, gen det), Ringstead, 24th June

Other macros were 3 Common Swifts, 3 Common Emeralds, 4 Small Fan-footed Waves, Garden Carpet, 6 Common Carpets, Barred Straw, 2 Sandy Carpets, Lime-speck Pug, 2 Common Pugs, Grey Pug, 3 Shaded Pugs, Clouded Border, 4 Brimstone Moths, 2 Willow Beauties, 2 Mottled Beauties, Common White Wave, 4 Clouded Silvers, Dingy Footman, Scarce Footman, 4 Common Footmen, Turnip Moth, Heart and Club, Heart and Dart, 2 Flames, 2 Flame Shoulders, Setaceous Hebrew Character, 4 Double Square-spots, 2 Bright-line Brown-eyes, 8 Brown-line Bright Eyes, 3 Clays, Common Wainscot, Dark Dagger, Knot Grass, Dun-bar, 3 Dark Arches, Marbled Minor, 3 Tawny Marbled Minors (and at least 2 more Marbled Minor aggs.), 3 Middle-barred Minors, 4 Uncertains, 2 Mottled Rustics, 3 Snouts, 2 Fan-foots and Small Fan-foot.

Dark Dagger (male, gen det), Ringstead, 24th June

For me the micros were more exciting, although like the pug, neither of the lifers were confirmed until they'd had their genitalia examined.  I retained 3 bronzy-green Coleophora which I imagined would be (Small) Clover Case-bearers Coleophora alcyonipennella, by far the commonest species, but in fact they proved to be my first ever Red-clover Case-bearers Coleophora deauratella.

Red-clover Case-bearer Coleophora deauratella (male, gen det), Ringstead, 24th June

Another nice surprise when looking down the microscope was one of the Cnephasia - it turned out to be Meadow Shade Cnephasia pasiuana, a species only recorded five times previously in Norfolk.

Meadow Shade Cnephasia pasiusana (male, gen det), Ringstead, 24th June

Perhaps the rarest moth seen, at least so it seemed when I identified it on examining its genitalia, was Scarce Thorn Case-bearer Coleophora trigeminella.  At the time I thought it was the second record for Norfolk, but little did I know that I had three more sitting in pots on my desk that I had from the previous few days (one from Warham Greens and two from my own garden).  An amazing series of records!

Scarce Thorn Case-bearer Coleophora trigeminella (male, gen det), Ringstead, 24th June

Given that there were only 13 previous records in the county the number of Straw Flat-bodies Agonopterix kaekeritziana trapped was astonishing.  I put down 20 in my notes but I suspect the true number was considerably higher.

Straw Flat-body Agonopterix kaekeritziana, Ringstead, 24th June

One of the other highlights for me was my second ever Roseate Marble Celypha rosaceana.

Roseate Marble Celypha rosaceana, Ringstead, 24th June

I wasn't aware of, or had forgotten, the existence of an orangey-brown form of  Knapweed Conch Agapeta zoegana.  Two out of four that I saw belonged to this form f. ferrugana.

Knapweed Conch Agapeta zoegana f. ferrugana, Ringstead, 24th June

Other micros I got to see included Sycamore-seed Pigmy Ectoedemia decentella, Common Nettle-tap Anthophila fabriciana, Netted Argent Argyresthia retinella, 5 Hawthorn Argents Argyresthia bonnetella, 6 Bird-cherry Ermines Yponomeuta evonymella, 2 Hawthorn Ermels Paraswammerdamia nebulella, Apple & Plum Case-bearer Coleophora spinella, 2 Pistol Case-bearers Coleophora anatipennella, Meadow Dwarf Elachista triatomea, 10 Golden-brown Tubics Crassa unitella, Long-horned Flat-body Carcina quercana, Burdock Neb Metzneria lappella, Common Groundling Teleiodes vulgella, London Dowd Blastobasis lacticolella, Rough-winged Conch Phtheochroa rugosana, 6 Hook-marked Straw Moths Agapeta hamana, 10 Marbled Conches Eupoecilia angustana, Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix Pandemis cerasana, 6 Large Fruit-tree Tortrixes Archips podana, Variegated Golden Tortrix Archips xylosteana, 2 Privet Tortrixes Clepsis consimilana, Red-barred Tortrix Ditula angustiorana, 2 Yellow-spot Tortrixes Pseudargyrotoza conwagana, 2 Grey Tortrixes Cnephasia stephensiana, 3 Flax Tortrixes Cnephasia asseclana, Light Grey Tortrix Cnephasia incertana (and lots more Cnephasia sp. that I didn't retain for checking), Yellow Oak Button Aleimma loeflingiana, Green Oak Tortrix Tortrix viridana, 12 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Plum Tortrix Hedya pruniana, 2 Marbled Orchard Tortrixes Hedya nubiferana, Buff-tipped Marble Hedya ochroleucana, 3 Triangle-marked Rollers Ancylis achatana, Black-brindled Bell Epinotia signatana, Holly Tortrix Rhopobota naevana, 3 Bramble Shoot Moths Notocelia uddmanniana, 2 Triple-blotched Bells Notocelia trimaculana, Acorn Piercer Pammene fasciana, Broad-blotch Drill Dichrorampha alpinana, Round-winged Drill Dichrorampha simpliciana, Bulrush Veneer Calamotropha paludella, 30 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, Hook-streaked Grass-Veneer Crambus lathoniellus, 2 Yellow Satin Veneers Crambus perlella, Meadow Grey Scoparia pyralella, 10 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis, Base-lined Grey Scoparia basistrigalis, Ringed China-mark Parapoynx stratiotata, 2 Lesser Pearls Sitochroa verticalis, 4 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, Elder Pearl Anania coronata, Dusky Pearl Udea prunalis, 2 Bee Moths Aphomia sociella, Dotted Oak Knot-horn Phycita roborella, 2 Twin-barred Knot-horns Homoeosoma sinuella, 2 Yarrow Plumes Gillmeria pallidactyla, 4 Brown Plumes Stenoptilia pterodactyla and 2 White Plumes Pterophorus pentadactyla.

Sycamore-seed Pigmy Ectoedemia decentella, Ringstead, 24th June

Apple and Plum Case-bearer Coleophora spinella (female, gen det), Ringstead, 24th June

Pistol Case-bearer Coleophora anatipennella (male, gen det), Ringstead, 24th June

Meadow Dwarf Elachista triatomea, Ringstead, 24th June

Common Groundling Teleiodes vulgella, Ringstead, 24th June

Marbled Cnoches Eupoecilia angustana, Ringstead, 24th June

Lesser Pearl Sitochroa verticalis, Ringstead, 24th June

Yarrow Plume Gillmeria pallidactyla, Ringstead, 24th June

Two Dichocrhysa flavifrons represented the lacewings and the Scorpion Fly I checked was Panorpa communis.  The one caddisfly I retained to check proved to be a new species for me, Ceraclea albimacula.

Ceraclea albimacula (male), Ringstead, 24th June

The bug Polymerus unifasciatus was also new for me, unlike the Hawthorn Shieldbug.  The only beetle I identified was a Harlequin Ladybird.

Polymerus unifasciatus, Ringstead, 24th June