Review of 2019 and 2020 - Moths: Case-bearers (Coleophoridae) (Part 4)

CASE-BEARERS (COLEOPHORIDAE) continued


Buff Rush Case-bearer Coleophora caespititiella - Totals of 128 trapped at home between 25th May and 29th June 2019 and 79 between 20th May and 22nd June 2020, although on the busiest days some of these were not gen detted.  Peaks of 28 on 3rd and 7th June 2019 and 14 on 26th May and 12th June 2020.  2019 was my best year for this species although I had a higher count of 51 in 2018.  This is my commonest Coleophora here.  Also 12 confirmed from the Cathedral Meadows and singles at Bintree Wood, Frost's Common and Hills and Holes.  Typically this species is distinctly plainer (other than the pale costa) than alticolella and glaucicolella however there is variation.  Very occasionally a plain individual turns out to be one of the other species and caespititiella can have faint pale streaking inside the costa, albeit rarely as clear as it usually is on the other 2 species.

male Buff Rush Case-bearer Coleophora caespititiella, North Elmham, 25th May 2019

male and female Buff Rush Case-bearers Coleophora caespititiella, North Elmham, 7th June 2019

female Buff Rush Case-bearer Coleophora caespititiella, North Elmham, 16th June 2019

female Buff Rush Case-bearer Coleophora caespititiella, North Elmham, 20th May 2020

female Buff Rush Case-bearer Coleophora caespititiella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 13th June 2020

female Buff Rush Case-bearer Coleophora caespititiella, North Elmham, 13th June 2020

Jointed-rush Case-bearer Coleophora tamesis - None.  I've never seen this species but although it's described as rare there are records from a little further up the valley so it's a possibility here.


Grey Rush Case-bearer Coleophora glaucicolella - 2 at the meadows on 25th May followed by 1 here on 1st June and another 10 here between 6th and 23rd July.  Also 2 at Weybourne.  11 here is a good tally - numbers fluctuate quite a lot with 17 in 2016 but only singles in 2017 and 2018.  A similar pattern in 2020 with the first at the meadows (on 17th May) well before those at home (5 between 26th June and 23rd July).

male Grey Rush Case-bearer Coleophora glaucicolella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May 2019

female Grey Rush Case-bearer Coleophora glaucicolella, North Elmham, 1st June 2019

male Grey Rush Case-bearer Coleophora glaucicolella, North Elmham, 16th July 2019

male Grey Rush Case-bearer Coleophora glaucicolella, North Elmham, 26th June 2020

female Grey Rush Case-bearers Coleophora glaucicolella, North Elmham, 22nd July 2020

Wood-rush Case-bearer Coleophora otidipennella - None.  I've only ever had one here, in 2017.


Common Rush Case-bearer Coleophora alticolella - 8 trapped here between 25th May and 23rd June 2019 and 14 between 21st May and 15th June 2020, my best years for this species here (previous annual totals varying from 1-5).  Also recorded at the meadows on 6 dates.

male Common Rush Case-bearer Coleophora alticolella, North Elmham, 3rd June 2019

female Common Rush Case-bearer Coleophora alticolella, North Elmham, 23rd June 2019

female Common Rush Case-bearer Coleophora alticolella, North Elmham, 21st May 2020

male Common Rush Case-bearer Coleophora alticolella, North Elmham, 31st May 2020

male Common Rush Case-bearer Coleophora alticolella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 13th June 2020

female Common Rush Case-bearer Coleophora alticolella, North Elmham, 15th June 2020

Small Rush Case-bearer Coleophora taeniipennella - One caught in the garden on 23rd July 2019, my third following singles here in 2016 and 2017.  None in 2020.

male Small Rush Case-bearer Coleophora taeniipennella, North Elmham, 23rd July

Black Bindweed Case-bearer Coleophora therinella - One trapped at Weybourne on 5th July 2019, the 9th record for Norfolk.  Despite the paucity of records I've had this species here in 2016 and twice at my last house in Bawdeswell (when I was only retaining a minority of Coleophora for confirmation). 

male Black Bindweed Case-bearer Coleophora therinella, Weybourne, 5th July 2019

Orache Case-bearer Coleophora saxicolella - A new moth for the garden when one was trapped on 4th August 2019, followed by a second on 9th August and a third on 9th August 2020.  Also one at Weybourne on 5th July 2019.  Although this species requires gen detting to separate from the next species, the small size and pale costa was a strong clue on a couple of these.

female Orache Case-bearer Coleophora saxicolella, Weybourne, 5th July

female Orache Case-bearer Coleophora saxicolella, North Elmham, 4th August

male Orache Case-bearer Coleophora saxicolella, North Elmham, 9th August

female Orache Case-bearer Coleophora saxicolella, North Elmham, 9th August 2020

Speckled Case-bearer Coleophora sternipennella - Just the one in 2019, here on 16th July, and none in 2020.  Only one in 2018 too but I have had as many as 12 in a year (2016).

female Speckled Case-bearer Coleophora sternipennella, North Elmham, 16th July 2019

Pale Orache Case-bearer Coleophora versurella - Singles in the garden trap on 25th July 2019 and 7th August 2020, and one at the meadows on 18th July 2020.  I had only ever recorded one before, and never here in North Elmham.

male Pale Orache Case-bearer Coleophora versurella, North Elmham, 25th July 2019

female Pale Orache Case-bearer Coleophora versurella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 18th July 2020

male Pale Orache Case-bearer Coleophora versurella, North Elmham, 7th August 2020

Next page: more Coleophora

Coleophora therinella

The moths at home on 9th July weren't especially numerous, 160 of 68 species, but they included a few noteworthy ones.  Top among them was a Black-bindweed Case-bearer Coleophora therinella, new for the house and only the 6th record for Norfolk (although my third).

Black-bindweed Case-bearer Coleophora therinella (female, gen det), North Elmham, 9th July

Also new for the house was Bulrush Veneer Calamotropha paludella.  Others new for the garden year list were Hawthorn Ermel Paraswammerdamia nebulella, Lesser Cream Wave and Miller.

Miller, North Elmham, 9th July

Hawthorn Ermel Paraswammerdamia nebulella, North Elmham, 9th July

Other micros were 7 Diamond-back Moths Plutella xylostella, Brown House Moth Hofmannophila pseudospretella, Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix Pandemis cerasana, 3 Large Fruit-tree Tortrixes Archips podana, 2 Large Ivy Tortrixes Lozotaenia forsterana, Yellow-spot Tortrix Pseudargyrotoza conwagana, 2 Flax Tortrixes Cnephasia asseclana, Yellow Oak Button Aleimma loeflingiana, 2 Barred Marbles Celypha striana, 8 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Pine Marble Piniphila bifasciana, 2 Plum Tortrixes Hedya pruniana, Marbled Orchard Tortrix Hedya nubiferana, Holly Tortrix Rhopobota naevana, Bud Moth Spilonota ocellana, 21 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, Grass-veneer Crambus pascuella, Common Grey Scoparia ambigualis, 6 Little Greys Eudonia lacustrata, Ringed China-mark Parapoynx stratiotata, Small Magpie Anania hortulata, Fenland Pearl Anania perlucidalis, 2 Bee Moths Aphomia sociella and White Plume Pterophorus pentadactyla.

Fenland Pearl Chrysopa commata, North Elmham, 9th July

Other macros were Buff Arches, 2 Small Fan-footed Waves, 3 Small Dusty Waves, 2 Single-dotted Waves, 2 Riband Waves, Large Twin-spot Carpet, Common Carpet, 2 Barred Straws, Sandy Carpet, 2 Green Pugs, 4 Swallow-tailed Moths, 2 Peppered Moths, 3 Willow Beauties, Mottled Beauty, Common White Wave, 4 Clouded Silvers, 2 Elephant Hawkmoths, 2 Buff-tips, 3 Rosy Footmen, 5 Common Footmen, 2 Buff Ermines, Heart and Club, 5 Flames, Flame Shoulder, Dot Moth, 2 Bright-line Brown-eyes, Clay, Smoky Wainscot, Poplar Grey, Brown Rustic, 4 Dark Arches, Light Arches, Marbled Minor, 4 Tawny Marbled Minors, 7 Uncertains, Mottled Rustic, Spectacle, 6 Snouts and Small Fan-foot.

Of 2 green lacewings one was a lifer (Chrysopa commata) and the other was new for the house (Chrysopidia ciliata).

Chrysopa commata, North Elmham, 9th July

Chrysopidia ciliata, North Elmham, 9th July

Among the caddis probable Hydropsyche siltalai wasn't noteworthy but Agrypnia pagetana was my first this year and seemingly not well-recorded in VC28.

Agrypnia pagetana, North Elmham, 9th July

Also the bug Stenotus binotatus.

The following night saw another new lacewing, Dichochrysa flavifrons, together with a second Chrysopa commata.

Dichochrysa flavifrons, North Elmham, 10th July

Of 201 moths (79 species) that night the best was Forest Case-bearer Coleophora ibipennella, new for the house and possibly new altogether.  I'd caught one once before that keyed out to ibipennella but the keys aren't all that reliable and I messed up the dissection.  Nice to confirm one at last.

Forest Case-bearer Coleophora ibipennella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 10th July

Others new for the year here were Buff-tipped Marble Hedya ochroleucana, Nut Bud Moth Epinotia tenerana, Mother of Pearl Pleuroptya ruralis, Phoenix, Brown-tail and Plain Golden Y.

Plain Golden Y, North Elmham, 10th July

Phoneix, North Elmham, 10th July

Brown-tail, North Elmham, 10th July

Buff-tipped Marble Hedya ochroleucana, North Elmham, 10th July

Nut Bud Moth Epinotia tenerana, North Elmham, 10th July

The other micros were Bird-cherry Ermine Yponomeuta evonymella, 2 Diamond-back Moths Plutella xylostella, 2 Speckled Case-bearers Coleophora sternipennella, Brown House Moth Hofmannophila pseudospretella, Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix Pandemis cerasana, 4 Large Fruit-tree Tortrixes Archips podana, Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana, 2 Large Ivy Tortrixes Lozotaenia forsterana, 2 Flax Tortrixes Cnephasia asseclana, Light Grey Tortrix Cnephasia incertana, Green Oak Tortrix Tortrix viridana, 3 Barred Marbles Celypha striana, 2 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, 2 Marbled Orchard Tortrixes Hedya nubiferana, Hoary Bell Eucosma cana, 16 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, 2 Yellow Satin Veneers Crambus perlella, Common Grey Scoparia ambigualis, 5 Little Greys Eudonia lacustrata, 2 Small Greys Eudonia mercurella, Ringed China-mark Parapoynx stratiotata, 4 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, Elder Pearl Anania coronata, Fenland Pearl Anania perlucidalis, Rosy Tabby Endotricha flammealis, Bee Moth Aphomia sociella, 2 False Cacao Moths Ephestia unicolorella and Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla.

Macros included 2 Buff Arches, 2 Common Emeralds, Small Fan-footed Wave, 8 Single-dotted Waves, 11 Riband Waves, Garden Carpet, Yellow Shell, 2 Barred Straws, 2 Barred Yellows, Brimstone Moth, 3 Early Thorns, 3 Swallow-tailed Moths, 4 Peppered Moths, 2 Willow Beauties, 2 Mottled Beauties, 4 Clouded Silvers, Privet Hawkmoth, 5 Elephant Hawkmoths, Iron Prominent, 2 Rosy Footmen, Orange Footman, 4 Common Footmen, 8 Buff Ermines, Heart and Club, 4 Flames, Flame Shoulder, 2 Large Yellow Underwings, 8 Double Square-spots, Dot Moth, 3 Bright-line Brown-eyes, Clay, 4 Smoky Wainscots, Poplar Grey, Brown Rustic, Small Angle Shades, 10 Dark Arches, 3 Tawny Marbled Minors, Common Rustic, 5 Uncertains, Rustic, Spectacle, Beautiful Hook-tip, 8 Snouts and Fan-foot.

Caddisflies included Glyphotaelius pellucidus, a common species but one that's not meant to fly in July.  Also 2 probable Hydropsyche siltalai, Limnephilus auricula, Limnephilus lunatus and Athripsodes aterrimus.

A hoverfly proved to be my first Parasyrphus punctulatus.

Parasyrphus punctulatus, North Elmham, 10th July

4th for Norfolk

The end of February didn't bring many more moths - Pale Brindled Beauty and Chestnut on Thursday night and Pale Brindled Beauty last night.

I have a few dissections to do from last summer.  Did 3 Coleophora from July and one turned out good.  It was a Black-bindweed Case-bearer Coleophora therinella.  It's the fourth record for Norfolk, my second.

Black-bindweed Case-bearer Coleophora therinella (female), Bawdeswell, 23rd July 2014

The other two I did were Grey Rush Case-bearer Coleophora glaucicolella, one of each gender.

Grey Rush Case-bearer Coleophora glaucicolella (female), Bawdeswell, 17th July 2014

Grey Rush Case-bearer Coleophora glaucicolella (male), Bawdeswell, 13th July 2014