Review of 2019 and 2020 - Moths: Gelechiids (Gelechiidae) (Part 4: Nebs - subfamily Anomologinae II)

GELECHIIDS (GELECHIIDAE) (continued)


Subfamily ANOMOLOGINAE (continued)


Burdock Neb Metzneria lappella - 10 in the garden between 22nd June and 4th July 2019 and 6 between 19th June and 31st July 2020; also 4 at Weybourne on 5th July.  I average about 8-9 here a year.  I don't find the darker examples of this species very easy to separate from metzneriella so tend to check the genitalia of any that are on the darker end of the spectrum (and some worn ones).  This is by far the commoner of the two in my experience.

male Burdock Neb Metzneria lappella, North Elmham, 30th June 2019

female Burdock Neb Metzneria lappella, North Elmham, 10th July 2019

Meadow Neb Metzneria metzneriella - One in my garden moth trap on 22nd June 2019.  For all my nervousness about separating this species from darker examples of lappella, I was pretty sure from the off that this one would prove to be metzneriella, and so it proved.  Only my second here following one in 2017.

male Meadow Neb Metzneria metzneriella, North Elmham, 22nd June 2019

Dark Fleabane Neb Apodia bifractella - 10 at Foxley Wood on 17th August 2019, the only site where I've seen this species previously.  They were all on Fleabane flowerheads in sunshine and all disappeared around mid afternnon.  2 at Whitwell Street on 12th August 2020, also on Fleabane but later in the day.


Bracken Neb Monochroa cytisella - One in Bintree Wood on 24th July 2020, my first local record.  There's no Bracken growing at the meadows or here in the garden but there's plenty along the railway in between, including some that's a stone's throw from the meadows, so I'm optimistic that I'll get one either there or here before too long.

Bracken Neb Monochroa cytisella, Bintree Wood, 24th July 2020

Common Plain Neb Monochroa tenebrella - One netted at the meadows on 1st June 2020 and then on 13th June one found on an Ox-eye Daisy in the same place and 2 more swept from Bird's-foot Trefoil a few steps away.  Apart from 2 in 2019 there hadn't been any other records in Norfolk since the 90s, but 2020 was clearly a good year for them as they were recorded at 3 other sites in the county too.

Common Plain Neb Monochroa tenbebrella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 1st June 2020

Common Plain Neb Monochroa tenbebrella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 13th June 2020

Buff-marked Neb Monochroa lucidella - one at Weybourne on 5th July 2019.  I've recorded this species twice before, here in North Elmham in 2015 and 2016.

female Buff-marked Neb Monochroa lucidella, Weybourne, 5th July 2019

Wainscot Neb Monochroa palustrellus - I was very happy to add this striking species to the garden list when I caught one in the garden trap on 30th July 2019, and then I caught another one on 22nd July 2020.  I have seen a couple elsewhere before but there were no previous records in this or the neighbouring 10k squares (although it was recorded in 3 neighbouring squares in 2020).

Wainscot Neb Metzneria palustrellus, North Elmham, 30th July 2019

Wainscot Neb Metzneria palustrellus, North Elmham, 22nd July 2020

Painted Neb Oxypteryx wilkella - 4 at Brancaster on 2nd July 2020.  Although I have recorded this species here before (in 2015) it's not one I would expect to see here on a regular basis - there hasn't ever been another record in this or the surrounding 10k squares.

Painted Neb Oxypteryx wilkella, Brancaster, 2nd July 2020

Two-spotted Neb Oxypteryx atrella - None.  I had singles here in each of the previous 3 years.


Next page: more Gelechiidae

Monopis obviella

After an excellent night's mothing at Warham Greens I returned home to check my garden moth trap - and it was busy!  Actually 244 moths of 98 species isn't remarkable for the second half of June but it was one of the best nights of the year so far and there were lots new for the year.  The highlight was a belated lifer, Yellow-backed Clothes Moth Monopis obviella.  I've had a few of the similar but rarer Pale-backed Clothes Moth Monopis crocicapitella before but obviella has eluded me until now.  When I did get a good candidate for one last year it managed to escape before I could confirm it, so nice to get one sorted at last.

Yellow-backed Clothes Moth Monopis obviella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 16th June

New for the house was Meadow Neb Metzneria metzneriella and it was interesting to compare it to a Burdock Neb Metzneria lappella (new for the year) - very similar but the rufousy tones along the costa on metzneriella were distinctive if subtle.

Meadow Neb Metzneria metzneriella (female, gen det), North Elmham, 16th June

Burdock Neb Metzneria lappella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 16th June

A Larch-bud Moth Spilonota laricana was only my second and new for the house.

Larch-bud-Moth Spilonota laricana (female, gen det), North Elmham, 16th June

An Osier Case-bearer Coleophora lusciniaepennella was only my third.

Osier Case-bearer Coleophora lusciniaepennella (female, gen det), North Elmham, 16th June

Others new for the year here were Bird-cherry Ermine Yponomeuta evonymella, Tipped Oak Case-bearer Coleophora flavipennella, Grey Rush Case-bearer Coleophora glaucicolella, Long-horned Flat-body Carcina quercana, Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix Pandemis heparana, Red-barred Tortrix Ditula angustiorana, Grey Tortrix Cnephasia stephensiana, Blotched Marble Endothenia quadrimaculana, Codling Moth Cydia pomonella, Yellow Satin Veneer Crambus perlella, Giant Water-veneer Schoenobius gigantella, Brown China-mark Elophila nymphaeata, Long-winged Pearl Anania lancealis, Small Blood-vein, Blue-bordered Carpet, Swallow-tailed Moth and one of my favourites, Green Silver-lines.

Bird-cherry Ermine Yponomeuta evonymella, North Elmham, 16th June

Long-horned Flat-body Carcina quercana, North Elmham, 16th June

Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix Pandemis heparana, North Elmham, 16th June

Blotched Marble Endothenia quadrimaculana, North Elmham, 16th June

Codling Moth Cydia pomonella, North Elmham, 16th June

Yellow Satin Veneer Crambus perlella, North Elmham, 16th June

Giant Water-veneer Schoenobius gigantella, North Elmham, 16th June

Brown China-mark Elophila nymphaeata, North Elmham, 16th June

Blue-bordered Carpet, North Elmham, 16th June

Swallow-tailed Moth, North Elmham, 16th June

Green Silver-lines, North Elmham, 16th June

Other moths were presumed Case-bearing Clothes Moth Tinea pellionella, Sloe Flat-body Luquetia lobella, 3 Hawthorn Cosmets Blastodacna hellerella, 5 Hook-marked Straw Moths Agapeta hamana, Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix Pandemis cerasana, 5 Large Fruit-tree Tortrixes Archips podana, 6 Privet Tortrixes Clepsis consimilana, Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana, 3 Large Ivy Tortrixes Lozotaenia forsterana, Light Grey Tortrix Cnephasia incertana, (and another Cnephasia sp.), 4 Barred Marbles Celypha striana, 7 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, 3 Pine Marbles Piniphila bifasciana, Rush Marble Bactra lancealana, Crescent Bell Epinotia bilunana, 3 Triple-blotched Bells Notocelia trimaculana, 2 Hoary Bells Eucosma cana, Red Piercer Lathronympha strigana, 5 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, 2 Hook-streaked Grass-Veneers Crambus lathoniellus, Meadow Grey Scoparia pyralella, 2 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis, Marsh Grey Eudonia pallida, 2 Little Greys Eudonia lacustrata, 8 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, Elder Pearl Anania coronata, Bee Moth Aphomia sociella, White Plume Pterophorus pentadactyla, Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla, Buff Arches, 6 Common Emeralds, Blood-vein, 2 Small Fan-footed Waves, Small Dusty Wave, 5 Single-dotted Waves, 13 Treble Brown Spots, 3 Riband Waves, 2 Silver-ground Carpets, 5 Barred Straws, Green Carpet, 2 Sharp-angled Carpets, Sandy Carpet, Currant Pug, Double-striped Pug, Clouded Border, Scorched Wing, 6 Brimstone Moths, 3 Willow Beauties, Mottled Beauty, 2 Common White Waves, Common Wave, 4 Clouded Silvers, Light Emerald, White Ermine, 3 Buff Ermines, Heart and Dart, 3 Flames, 2 Flame Shoulders, Large Yellow Underwing, 7 Ingrailed Clays, 2 Double Square-spots, Common Wainscot, Shoulder-striped Wainscot, 6 Brown Rustics, Small Angle Shades, Tawny Marbled Minor (and another Marbled Minor agg.), 10 Middle-barred Minors, 6 Uncertains, 3 Mottled Rustics, Marbled White Spot, Spectacle, 4 Beautiful Hook-tips, 13 Straw Dots, 4 Snouts, 5 Fan-foots and 4 Small Fan-foots.

Hook-marked Straw Moth Agapeta hamana, North Elmham, 16th June

Large Fruit-tree Tortrix Archips podana, North Elmham, 16th June

Sharp-angled Carpet, North Elmham, 16th June

Mayflies included a male Pond Olive Cloeon dipterum, subimago when caught but emerging into imago state by the time I came to identify it.

There were four beetles in the trap, three of which were new for the house (no doubt because I'm trying much harder than before): the water beetle Rhantus suturalis, Lesser Stag Beetle Dorcus parallelipipedus and completely new for me, Mealworm Beetle Tenebrio molitor (the fourth was Cantharis cryptica).

Rhantus suturalis, North Elmham, 16th June

Lesser Stag Beetle Dorcus parallelipipedus, North Elmham, 16th June

Mealworm Beetle Tenebrio molitor, North Elmham, 16th June