Review of 2019 and 2020 - Moths: Geometers (Geometridae) - part 6: Carpets V and Pugs I (Mesotype to Eupithecia I)

GEOMETERS (GEOMETRIDAE) (continued)


Twin-spot Carpet Mesotype didymata - One caught in my garden trap on 26th June 2019.  This was only my second here following one in 2015.  None in 2020.

Twin-spot Carpet, North Elmham, 26th June 2019

Rivulet Perizoma affinitata - None in the garden in 2019 but one on 12th June 2020 - I average one a year but 2019 wasn't my first blank.  Elsewhere one at the meadows on 25th May 2019 and 3 on Mull in June 2019.  I don't find the usually-stated feature of the indentation in the crossband to be consistent, or at least clear in many individuals, and when size isn't obvious I resort to measuring them and, in a few cases, dissecting them.  They normally prove to be the species I thought they were going to be, but I have been surprised by a couple of individuals.

Rivulet, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May 2019

Rivulets, Carsaig (Mull), 13th June 2019

Rivulet, North Elmham, 12th June 2020

Small Rivulet Perizoma alchemillata - One in the garden trap on 19th May 2019 then 18 between 10th July and 6th August 2019 and 19 between 30th June and 20th August 2020.  I average about 20 a year so these were fairly typical.  Elsewhere 7 at the meadows (including 2 spring generation ones on 17th May 2020), one at Bintree Wood and one in Hellesdon.

Small Rivulet, North Elmham, 19th May 2019

Small Rivulet, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 17th May 2020

Small Rivulet, North Elmham, 1st August 2020

Barred Rivulet Perizoma bifaciata - None.  I've recorded this in the garden 3 times (2014 and 2017).


Grass Rivulet Perizoma albulata - Previously I've only ever seen this species during the day on wet flower-rich meadows so it wasn't really a moth I was expecting to trap at home.  So one in my garden trap on 23rd June 2019 was a nice surprise, even if it wasn't the tidiest specimen I've ever seen.

Grass Rivulet, North Elmham, 23rd June 2019

Sandy Carpet Perizoma flavofasciata - Totals of 8 in the garden between 20th May and 23rd July 2019 and 8 between 17th May and 31st July 2020.  I've averaged 13 a year and these were my lowest totals so far.  Also 2 at the meadows and one at Bintree Wood.

Sandy Carpet, North Elmham, 20th May 2019

Sandy Carpet, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 31st May 2019

Sandy Carpet, North Elmham, 12th June 2020

Marsh Carpet Gagitodes sagittata - None.  I've never seen this fabulous moth but it occurs in the Wensum Valley at least as far up as Sparham Pools.  Maybe, just maybe, there are a few a little bit further up the valley too, and one day one might come to light here or at the meadows...


Double-striped Pug Gymnoscelis rufifasciata - A total of 11 in the garden between 21st March (my earliest ever) and 22nd April 2019 and then 24 between 24th June and 3rd September 2019.  Then in 2020, 6 between 5th and 26th April and 34 between 24th June and 7th September.  The totals of 35 and 40 were a bit below the average of 47.  Recorded 3 times at the meadows and also at Whitwell Street, Swanton Great Wood, Sculthorpe Moor, Brancaster and in Cornwall.

Double-striped Pug, North Elmham, 21st March 2019

Double-striped Pug, North Elmham, 9th April 2020

V-Pug Chloroclystis v-ata - Singles caught in the garden on 24th June and 21st July 2019.  This was my worst showing to date - I average 12 of these a year.  A more typical 11 in 2020 between 18th May and 12th August.  Elsewhere one at Sculthorpe Moor on 26th April 2019 was my earliest ever and one at Whitwell Street on 3rd September 2020 was my latest ever.

V-Pug, North Elmham, 18th May 2020

Sloe Pug Pasiphila chloerata - None in 2019 but my second and third records ever were in 2020: my first at home on 31st May and my first at the meadows on 18th June.

male Sloe Pug, North Elmham, 31st May 2020

female Sloe Pug, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 18th June 2020

Green Pug Pasiphila rectangulata - Totals of 10 in my trap between 2nd June and 23rd July 2019 and 4 between 11th and 17th June 2020.  Since the 39 in my first full year here (2015) numbers have decreased every year.  I hope it's a dip rather than a long-term trend as they're beautiful little moths.  Elsewhere 3 at the meadows and one at Weybourne.

Green Pug, North Elmham, 2nd June 2019

Green Pug, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 23rd June 2019

Green Pug, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 30th June 2019

Haworth's Pug Eupithecia haworthiata - None.  I've had 4 here, all between 2016 and 2018.


Slender Pug Eupithecia tenuiata - Totals of 4 in the garden trap between 10th and 25th July 2019 and 3 between 17th and 31st July 2020.  I've had up to 5 in a year (2015 and 2018) but also none (2017).  I've not found this species anywhere but in my garden since I moved here in 2014.

Slender Pug, North Elmham, 10th July 2019

Slender Pug, North Elmham, 23rd July 2019

female Slender Pug, North Elmham, 17th July 2020

female Slender Pug, North Elmham, 31st July 2020

Maple Pug Eupithecia inturbata - Totals of 15 caught here between 22nd July and 9th August 2019 and 18 between 29th July and 15th August - my best years for this species so far (average is less than 10/year).  Elsewhere 2 at the meadows on 4th August 2019 and 2 on 7th August 2020. A high proportion of Maple Pugs I catch are too worn to identify based on external appearance, although I've usually got a pretty good idea what they are before confirming.  One of the 2020 moths was partially melanic - the forewings were mostly uniform dark (though not as dark as the stigma which were still clear) except at the base which was paler, and a pale subterminal line (last photo below).

male Maple Pug, North Elmham, 30th July 2019

male Maple Pug, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 4th August 2019

female Maple Pug, North Elmham, 9th August 2019

female Maple Pug, North Elmham, 4th August 2020

female Maple Pug, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 7th August 2020

male Maple Pug, North Elmham, 7th August 2020

melanic female Maple Pug, North Elmham, 9th August 2020

Toadflax Pug Eupithecia linariata - None in 2019 and then 2 in the garden trap on 12th August 2020, a new moth for the garden.  I find this and the next species a much more troublesome duo to identify than the literature suggests they should be, with considerable overlap in the main characteristic.

male and female Toadflax Pugs, North Elmham, 9th August 2020

Foxglove Pug Eupithecia pulchellata - Totals of 5 in my garden between 1st June and 25th July 2019 and 3 between 20th May and 2nd July 2020.  Annual totals here have fluctuated between one in 2017 and 19 in 2016.  Elsewhere 4 on Mull, 3 at Hills and Holes, one at Bintree Wood and a late one at Row Heath (West Runton) on 31st August 2019.  I'm slightly worried about that one as it's a very late date for this species (much less so for Toadflax Pug) but I didn't remember that at the time - this was a group event and I don't recall if it was my identification or someone else's, or how carefully I or anyone else checked it.

Foxglove Pug, North Elmham, 20th May 2020

Foxglove Pug, Hills and Holes, 21st May 2020

Foxglove Pug, Bintree Wood, 13th June 2020

Marsh Pug Eupithecia pygmaeata - None in 2019.  I was keen to record this species locally after having a possible at Creaking Gate Lake a few years ago that I didn't quite see well enough to clinch it.  I got my chance unexpectedly on 12th August 2020 when I netted one along the railway at the bottom of the meadows.  I wondered if it might be Marsh Pug but it was a very late date for this species and it was unusually plain and dark (though it was a bit worn).  In the absence of any other clear contenders, but in view of the importance of getting this interesting record correct, it went under the microscope and proved indeed to be a Marsh Pug.

male Marsh Pug, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 12th August 2020

Netted Pug Eupithecia venosata - One in my garden moth trap on 21st May 2020.  I had never seen one before and it was pretty high up on my list of most-wanted moths, maybe even at the top, so it was very exciting to find it in my trap.  There hadn't been any records from my 10km square before, but a few from the squares to the east and Keith caught one at Litcham to the west in 2018, so I had high hopes. 

Netted Pug, North Elmham, 21st May 2020

Next page: more Geometridae

Another Wood Carpet

After a couple of poor nights it was back to form on 11th June with the following new moths for the year (for the garden): Light Grey Tortrix Cnephasia incertana, Small Grey Eudonia mercurella, False Cacao Moth Ephestia woodiella, Ghost Moth, Dwarf Cream Wave, Riband Wave, Heart and Club, Large Nutmeg (not annual here) and Small Fan-foot.

Ghost Moth, North Elmham, 11th June

Heart and Club, North Elmham, 11th June

Large Nutmeg, North Elmham, 11th June

Small Fan-foot, North Elmham, 11th June

In addition to these was a new moth for the garden, or at least one that I have not put down before (and some might argue should still not put down).  I've been a but dubious of claims of Wood Carpet and have probably thrown away "Common Carpets" that were a bit bigger than normal with clearer white bands in the wings before.  But buoyed by the really obvious one at Derby Fen I couldn't help wondering about another such individual trapped at home two nights later.  It wasn't nearly such an obvious candidate as the Derby Fen example as it had a weak grey line through the white band, more-or-less throughout its length, and the band itself wasn't as completely pure white, but it was big and it looked better in life than it does in the photos!  Now if it is the case that these cannot be done on genitalia then it probably isn't wise to claim such a non 'classic' individual as Wood Carpet, and I have heard it said that this is the case - there is no difference in genitalia.  It certainly is, as far as I can tell, impossible to separate these two on male genitalia, but the images of female genitalia on the Dissection Group website show very obviously different female genitalia for Common Carpet and Wood Carpet, as well as a comparison plate, the inclusion of which implies that this is a real difference rather than just variation between individuals.  Well, my moth was a female, and her genitalia were exactly like the image in the Dissection Group for Wood Carpet.  So on that basis, for the time being at least, I'm calling it a Wood Carpet, but I should point out that at least one expert considers that these are not separable and may not even be valid species.

 

apparent Wood Carpet (female), North Elmham, 11th June

Other species were Hedge Case-bearer Coleophora striatipennella, 5 Buff Rush Case-bearers Coleophora caespititiella, 3 Brown House Moths Hofmannophila pseudospretella, 2 Light Brown Apple-moths Epiphyas postvittana, Barred Marble Celypha striana, 14 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Plum Tortrix Hedya pruniana, Yellow-faced Bell Notocelia cynosbatella, 3 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, 4 Hook-streak Grass-veneers Crambus lathoniellus, 2 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis, 3 Narrow-winged Greys Eudonia angustea, 2 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, Elder Pearl Anania coronata, Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla, 2 Blood-veins, 4 Treble Brown Spots, Flame Carpet, Red Twin-spot Carpet, 4 Silver-ground Carpets, 2 Common Marbled Carpets, 3 Green Carpets, Sandy Carpet, Foxglove Pug, Mottled Pug, Freyer's Pug, Common Pug, 2 Grey Pugs, Clouded Border, Brown Silver-line, 2 Peppered Moths, Privet Hawk-moth, 2 Coxcomb Prominents, Marbled Brown, Buff-tip, 10 Orange Footmen, Common Footman, White Ermine, 8 Buff Ermines, 4 Cinnabars, 4 Heart and Darts, Ingrailed Clay, Bright-line Brown-eye, 3 Common Wainscots, 6 Brown Rustics, Small Angle Shades, 2 Marbled Minors, Middle-barred Minor, Treble Lines, Burnished Brass, 15 Straw Dots and Snout.

Foxglove Pug, North Elmham, 11th June

There were two mayflies in the trap, one of which was a Baetis sp., possibly a Large Dark Olive Baetis rhodani.  It's size may have helped resolve this one but unforunately I didn't get to measure it before it dried out and shrunk.  The other was one of the Anglers' Curse species and if I identified it correctly (some of the features are pretty subtle) it was a new one for me, Caenis luctuosa.

possible Large Dark Olive Baetis rhodani, North Elmham, 11th June

Caenis luctuosa, North Elmham, 11th June

Caddisflies consisted of Hydropsyche pellucidula, Phryganea grandis and Limnephilus flavicornis, the grandis being new for the year.  There was also the mirid bug Psallus perrisi.

Phryganea grandis, North Elmham, 11th June

 
The following night was atrocious again with just 19 species: Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteuchia culmella, Hook-streak Grass-veneer Crambus lathoniellus, Narrow-winged Grey Eudonia angustea, Small Magpie Anania hortulata, Silver-ground Carpet, Buff-tip, White Ermine, 8 Buff Ermines, 2 Heart and Darts, Flame, 2 Flame Shoulders, 2 Ingrailed Clays, Common Wainscot, 4 Brown Rustics, Dark Arches (new for the year), 2 Treble Lines, 3 Mottled Rustics, Straw Dot and 2 Snouts.

A nice day on 13th June meant several new insects at the meadows.  My first Ringlet and Meadow Browns of the year as well as Common Blue and Painted Lady.

Ringlet, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 13th June

Meadow Brown, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 13th June

Common Blue, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 13th June

A Four-spotted Chaser in one of the meadows was the first one I've seen here.

Four-spotted Chaser, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 13th June

The green lacewing Chrysopa perla is one I don't get at home very often - apparently they don't favour gardens.

Chrysopa perla, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 13th June

An unremarkable selection of moths consisted of Common Marble Celypha lacunana, Silver-ground Carpet, Common Carpet, Yellow Shell, Cinnabar and Silver Y.  Garden Chafer and Swollen-thighed Beetle represented the beetles and the hoverfly Melangyna umbellatarum was a new species for me.

Melangyna umbellatarum, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 13th June

 I think this leafmine on Creeping Buttercup belongs to the fly Phytomyza ranunculivora.

mine of Phytomyza ranunculivora, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 13th June

Another species I hadn't identified before was this striking digger wasp, Ectemnius cephalotes.

Ectemnius cephalotes, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 13th June

There were some nice wildflowers on show too, like these Common Spotted Orchids and Herb Bennet.

Common Spotted Orchids, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 13th June

Herb Bennet, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 13th June

It looks like this Grass Vetchling is relatively unusual, and is certainly easily overlooked.

Grass Vetchling, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 13th June

This Maidenhair Spleenwort is an attractive plant growing profusely on the chapel ruins.

Maidenhair Spleenwort, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 13th June