Review of 2019 and 2020 - Moths: Noctuids (Noctuidae) part 8: Chestnuts and allies, Pale Pinion and Shoulder-knots

NOCTUIDS (NOCTUIDAE) (continued)


Beaded Chestnut Agrochola lychnidis - Totals of 37 caught here between 20th September and 5th November 2019 and 24 between 18th September and 19th October 2020, my worst years yet (although the 2020 total was reduced by me being away for a few nights in early October).  Plotting my annual totals here gives me a smooth downward curve from the 84 here in 2014.  Elsewhere 79 over 7 nights in Cornwall in early October 2020 and 2 at the meadows on 8th November 2020.

Beaded Chestnut, North Elmham, 18th September 2020

Beaded Chestnuts, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 8th November 2020

Brown-spot Pinion Agrochola litura - Singles in the garden on 3 consecutive nights 2nd to 4th October 2019.  I caught 30 of these in 2014 but in the 5 years since then I've only caught 19 in total; 2020 was my first year without catching any at all.

Brown-spot Pinion, North Elmham, 2nd October 2019

Flounced Chestnut Agrochola helvola - None.  I first saw this species in 2017 and that remains the only one I've caught here.


Red-line Quaker Agrochola lota - Totals of 10 in the garden between 2nd October and 2nd November 2019 and 24 between 22nd September (my earliest ever) and 7th November 2020.  I've averaged about 11 a year here and 2020's total was my highest ever, and included my best count of 4 on 20th October.

Red-line Quaker, North Elmham, 2nd October 2019

Yellow-line Quaker Agrochola macilenta - Totals of 22 in the garden between 14th October and 27th November 2019, the last being my latest ever, and 17 between 17th October and 15th November 2020.  These totals were a fair bit below the average annual total of over 35.  Singles seen at the meadows on 5 dates from 4th October 2019.

Yellow-line Quaker, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 4th October 2019

Brick Agrochola circellaris - None here in 2019 but 5 between 2nd and 13th November 2020.  I've had poor years before (e.g. just one in 2016) but 2019 was my first complete blank.  I've caught up to 12 here in a year, averaging at 5.  Elsewhere 9 at the meadows on 4 dates (mostly on Ivy) including 5 on 4th October 2019. 

Bricks, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 4th October 2019

Brick, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 28th September 2020

Brick, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 30th October 2020

Lunar Underwing Omphaloscelis lunosa - Totals of 360 caught in my garden between 10th September and 14th October 2019 and 348 between 8th September and 20th October 2020, both over my average annual tally of 282.  Elsewhere 316 in Cornwall in the first week of October (including 92 at our Tresidder cottage on 8th October).  Incredibly, I haven't managed to find this species at the meadows yet.

Lunar Underwing, Tresidder (Cornwall), 7th October 2020

Chestnut Conistra vaccinii - My best years for this species at home with 58 up to 27th March  2019 and then 17 from 1st October to the year end, 27 up to 10th April 2020 and then 66 from 29th September to the year end (including a record 8 on 16th October).  The totals of 75 and 93 compare with an average annual total of less than 60.  At the meadows recorded on 12 nights with a total of 24.  The record at home on 29th September 2020 and 4 at the meadows the same night were my earliest autumn records ever.  So far 2021 is shaping up to be another excellent year for this species.

Chestnut, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 22nd March 2019

Chestnut, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 22nd April 2019

Chestnut, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 4th October 2019

Chestnut, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 8th March 2020

Chestnuts, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 29th September 2020 (the second being a confirmed male)

Dark Chestnut Conistra ligula - 5 caught in the garden in the first winter period of 2019, up to 23rd February, then 4 in the autumn between 21st October and 24th November followed by one on 13th February 2020.  5 between 2nd October (my earliest ever) and 21st December 2020.  I average just under 7 a year here.  Elsewhere one at the meadows on 4th October 2019 and one in Cornwall in October 2020.  I find some Conistra quite difficult to be certain about and so dissect a few of the trickier individuals to confirm - the results suggest I'm being over-cautious as my suspected ID nearly always proves right, but I do occasionally get it wrong and sometimes think these are over-simplified, especially with worn examples.

Dark Chestnut, North Elmham, 22nd February 2019

Dark Chestnut, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 4th October 2019

female Dark Chestnut, North Elmham, 13th February 2020

female Dark Chestnut, North Elmham, 2nd October 2020

male Dark Chestnut, North Elmham, 16th October 2020

male Dark Chestnut, North Elmham, 21st December 2020

Dotted Chestnut Conistra rubiginea - None at home in either year.  This species has very recently colonised Norfolk and is still spreading - I caught my first here in 2016 and a second in 2018.  Elsewhere one at Cranwich Heath on 14th March 2020.

Dotted Chestnut, Cranwich Heath, 14th March 2020

Tawny Pinion Lithophane semibrunnea - None.  This is a scarce species and I've never seen one, but it's pretty widespread so I remain optimistic that one will land in my trap sometime.


Pale Pinion Lithophane socia - Singles in my garden on 26th March 2019 (my earliest ever record) and 1st April 2020.  The 2019 individual had one wing very much shorter than the other.  This species isn't quite annual here though I average one a year.

Pale Pinion, North Elmham, 26th March 2019

Pale Pinion, North Elmham, 1st April 2020

Grey Shoulder-knot Lithophane ornitopus - singles caught in my garden on 17th October and 4th November 2019 and 18th October 2020.  1-2 a year is normal though numbers have varied from 0 to 4.

Grey Shoulder-knot, North Elmham, 17th October 2019

Grey Shoulder-knot, North Elmham, 4th November 2019

Grey Shoulder-knot, North Elmham, 18th October 2020

Blair's Shoulder-knot Lithophane leautieri - One trapped in the garden on 28th October 2019.  This recent colonist seemed to be going from strength to strength at the time I moved here and I caught 22 in my first autumn (2014).  Since then it slumped - I caught 4 in each of the next 2 years, 3 in 2017 and none in 2018 or 2020.  A temporary dip, as in the usual peak-and-trough cycle of insect populations, or a long-term trend signalling the end of a temporary colonisation?  Time will tell, but I suspect the former.

Blair's Shoulder-knot, North Elmham, 28th October 2019

Next page: more Noctuidae

Dotted Chestnut

There weren't so many moths on 23rd April but they did include a Dotted Chestnut, my second here following my first last spring.  As the species spreads northwards I shouldn't be surprised if this turns out to be annual going forward.

Dotted Chestnut, North Elmham, 23rd April

Another Lunar Marbled Brown was noteworthy - my third this year of a species I only added to my garden list last year.  Also trapped were Common Flat-body Agonopterix heracliana, 2 Common Plumes Emmelina monodactyla, Frosted Green, Brindled Pug, 2 Brindled Beauties, 2 Common Quakers, 5 Hebrew Characters, 2 Chrysoperla carnea agg. and a Common Wasp.

Common Wasp, North Elmham, 23rd April

The next night there were just 5 moths in the trap: Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana (new for the year), Early Thorn, Brindled Beauty and 2 Hebrew Characters.  A Brown-lipped Snail was the first I'd noticed this year.

Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana, North Elmham, 24th April

Next day I returned to the meadows.  It was relatively unproductive but there were 3 species of hoverfly: Melanostoma scalare, Platycheirus albimanus and Syrphus ribesii.

Melanostoma scalare, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th April

Platycheirus albimanus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th April

Syrphus ribesii, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th April

Another ant proved to be Small Black Ant Lasius niger - that's probably the two commonest ant species knocked off now - I wonder how hard it will be to find any others?

Small Black Ant Lasius niger, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th April

I think this yellow mushroom must be a Yellow Fieldcap, but please correct me if I'm wrong.

Yellow Fieldcap, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th April

There is a good display of Cowslips in the wildflower meadow.

Cowslips, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th April

I found some Rue-leaved Saxifrage growing on the chapel ruins, along with plenty of Ivy-leaved Toadflax.

Rue-leaved Saxifrage, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th April

Ivy-leaved Toadflax, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th April

This tree growing near the chapel doesn't look like an ordinary Cypress to me - I'm erring more on the side of Nootka Cypress, but if anyone can confirm or put me right please let me know.

possible Nootka Cypress, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th April

I think these sheep thought I was going to feed them.  They were disappointed.

sheep, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th April

That night 3 Hebrew Characters were the only moths in the trap but there was also another Springtail, Orchesella cincta again I think.

Orchesella cincta, North Elmham, 25th April

A fractionally warmer night on 26th secured a small number of moths: Brindled Beauty, Muslin Moth, 2 Hebrew Characters and Nut-tree Tussock. Also a hoverfly Melanostoma scalare, my first here this year.

Early the next morning I popped up to the Cathedral Meadows where I found my first moths for the site at last.  At least 6 Beech Midgets Phyllonorycter maestingella (2 retained and confirmed) were flying around nettles beneath a beech tree, at least 2 Common Thorn Midgets Phyllonorycter oxyacanthae were flying around the track flanked by Hawthorn and a Common Oak Purple Dyseriocrania subpurpurella was flying beneath oaks on the railway.  Although I'd already counted an unconfirmed example the oxyacanthae were my first confirmed individuals of this species anywhere.

Beech Midget Phyllonorycter maestingella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 27th April

Common Thorn Midget Phyllonorycter oxyacanthae (male, gen det), North Elmham, 27th April

Common Oak Purple Dyseriocrania subpurpurella, North Elmham, 27th April

I then went to the patch at Bittering and saw my third Pyllonorycter species of the morning, a White Oak Midget Phyllonorycter harrisella.

Later that day I found my first Waxfly of the year, inside my study.  It was a Conwentzia sp., but like every other Conwentzia I've caught it was a female and so cannot be identified to species-level.

Conwentzia sp. (female), North Elmham, 27th April

That night there were no moths in the trap but 2 more hoverflies, both Melanostoma scalare.  Nothing at all the following night and just 1 Hebrew Character and another Melanostoma scalare on 29th.