A new lacewing: Sympherobius pygmaeus

The moth trap highlight on 2nd June wasn't a moth, but a lacewing.  I aim to identify all the lacewings I catch now and it's not very often I find a new species.  This was a brown lacewing, though smaller and darker than the commoner species I catch regularly so I knew it was going to be something interesting.  It turned out to be Sympherobius pygmaeus.  There are Norfolk records from 1991 and 1994 but none since, unless there have been others in the last year or two that I've not yet heard about.

 Sympherobius pygmaeus, North Elmham, 2nd June

There were a couple of decent moths too - Oblique Carpet, my second example here of this species that is very scarce in Norfolk away from the Broads, and Scallop Shell - again my second example here though it turned out to be the first of 5 here this year.

 Oblique Carpet, North Elmham, 2nd June

Scallop Shell, North Elmham, 2nd June

Other new moths for the year were Blackthorn Slender Parornix torquillella, Woundwort Case-bearer Coleophora lineolea, London Dowd Blastobasis lacticolella, Privet Tortrix Clepsis consimilana, Mottled Marble Bactra furfurana, Lesser Pearl Sitochroa verticalis, Sharp-angled Carpet and Light Emerald.

Blackthorn Slender Parornix torquillella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 2nd June

Mottled Marble Bactra furfurana (female, gen det), North Elmham, 2nd June

Sharp-angled Carpet, North Elmham, 2nd June

Other moths that night were 2 Diamond-backs Plutella xylostella, 7 Buff Rush Case-bearers Coleophora caespititiella, Little Dwarf Elachista canapennella, 2 Brown House Moths Hofmannophila pseudospretella, 3 Light Brown Apple-moths Epiphyas postvittana, Green Oak Tortrix Tortrix viridana, 4 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Plum Tortrix Hedya pruniana, Rush Marble Bactra lancealana, 2 Yellow-faced Bells Notocelia cynosbatella, 12 Hook-streak Grass-veneers Crambus lathoniellus, Common Grey Scoparia ambigualis, Narrow-winged Grey Eudonia angustea, Garden Pebble Evergestis forficalis, 6 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, Elder Pearl Anania coronata, 4 Common Swifts, Pebble Hook-tip, Treble Brown Spot, Red Twin-spot Carpet, 5 Silver-ground Carpets, Garden Carpet, Green Carpet, Mottled Pug, 4 Common Pugs, Clouded Border, Scorched Wing, Common White Wave, 2 Clouded Silvers, Poplar Hawk-moth, 2 Elephant Hawk-moths, Marbled Brown, Pale Tussock, 2 White Ermines, Cinnabar, 2 Heart and Darts, 2 Ingrailed Clays, 2 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, 2 Common Wainscots, Brown Rustic, 6 Treble Lines, Mottled Rustic, 2 Spectacles and 4 Straw Dots.

Caddisflies consisted of Plectrocnemia conspersa, Hydropsyche pellucidula, Limnephilus auricula, Limnephilus sparsus, Micropterna lateralis and Grouse Wing Mystacides longicornis, the first and last of which were both new for the year here.

Plectrocnemia conspersa, North Elmham, 2nd June

The next day my next-door neighbours popped round to ask me about some caterpillars they'd found in their garden.  I went round to have a look and found a communal web full of Small Eggar caterpillars (at least 30 visible).  With them breeding a stone's throw from my garden it's amazing I've never caught one, but this does seem to be a species that doesn't come to light readily.

Small Eggar caterpillars, North Elmham, 3rd June

Silver Hook and other Surlingham goodies

Church Marsh, Surlingham was the destination for Norfolk Moth Survey's last night-time moth event in 2016 and I was keen to go along to this one, a site I've never visited before.  It was a windier night than we would have liked and it was a little difficult finding a site sufficiently sheltered.  We did the best we could and it turned out to be a thoroughly worthwhile night.

The star of the night was undoubtedly a Silver Hook - a scarce wetland species with its Norfolk stronghold in the Broads.  Perhaps surprisingly though, it has only rarely been recorded in the Yare Valley, and not since 1985, so this was a very pleasing result.

Silver Hook, Church Marsh, Surlingham, 27th August

I was also pleased to see another Broads special, especially after missing one that was recorded by others at the last event at Claxton Manor - my first Reed Smudge Orthotelia sparganella.

Reed Smudge Orthotelia sparganella, Church Marsh, Surlingham, 27th August

A third lifer for me was the tiny Sallow Pigmy Stigmella salicis.  It is sometimes said that these Stigmella are too hard to identify with certainty to record as adults, and that there is no need to anyway as their mines are so easy to find.  Well for no logical reason I like to see adults before counting them, and I like a challenge, so I set about trying to resolve this one using the excellent Kleine Vlinders key.  Where a couplet was in the slightest bit equivocal I followed both options until I reached a dead-end on one, so I'm fairly certain I arrived at the correct ID - and I'm pretty sure there was a lot of its foodplant present too.

Sallow Pigmy Stigmella salicis (female), Church Marsh, Surlingham, 27th August

Other highlights included 2 Meadow-sweet Buttons Acleris shepherdana, Double-striped Knot-horn Cryptoblabes bistriga, 2 Oblique Carpets, Chevron, Vapourer, 4 Garden Tigers, Old Lady, Small Wainscot, 2 Crescents, Twin-spotted Wainscot, 6 Webb's Wainscots, Gold Spot and Pinion-streaked Snout.

Meadow-sweet Button Acleris shepherdana (male, gen det), Church Marsh, Surlingham, 27th August

Double-striped Knot-horn Cryptoblabes bistriga, Church Marsh, Surlingham, 27th August

Oblique Carpet, Church Marsh, Surlingham, 27th August

Chevron, Church Marsh, Surlingham, 27th August

Vapourer, Church Marsh, Surlingham, 27th August

Garden Tiger, Church Marsh, Surlingham, 27th August

Snall Wainscot, Church Marsh, Surlingham, 27th August

Crescent, Church Marsh, Surlingham, 27th August

Although Common Marble Celypha lacunana was suggested as the ID for this moth I don't recall seeing one quite like this so took it home to confirm.  Whoever called it that (Ben I think) was spot on.  There was a normal one too.

Common Marble Celypha lacunana (female, gen det), Church Marsh, Surlingham, 27th August

I was also slightly doubtful about this rather dark Flounced Rustic, although by the time I came to dissect it I had already convinced myself that was what it had to be - and I've seen a couple of similar ones since so perhaps it wasn't so odd after all.

Flounced Rustic (female, gen det), Church Marsh, Surlingham, 27th August

The remainder that I saw were Horse Chestnut Leaf-miner Cameraria ohridella, Common Nettle-tap Anthophila fabriciana, Golden Argent Argyresthia goedartella, Diamond-back Moth Plutella xylostella, 2 Small Clover Case-bearers Coleophora alcyonipennella, Cyclamen Tortrix Clepsis spectrana, Barred Marble Celypha striana, Grey Poplar Bell Epinotia nisella, Marbled Piercer Cydia splendana, Common Grass-veneer Agriphila tristella, Elbow-stripe Grass-veneer Agriphila geniculea, 5 Water Veneers Acentria ephemerella, Marsh Grey Eudonia pallida, 2 Brown China-marks Elophila nymphaeata, Beautiful China-mark Nymphula nitidulata, 5 Small China-marks Cataclysta lemnata, 3 Rusty-dot Pearls Udea ferrugalis, Mother of Pearl Pleuroptya ruralis, Figure of Eighty, Small Dusty Wave, Common Carpet, Yellow Shell, Purple Bar, Green Carpet, Triple-spotted Pug, Currant Pug, Double-striped Pug, Dingy Shell, Clouded Border, Tawny-barred Angle, 2 Brimstone Moths, 2 Dusky Thorns, Common Wave, Light Emerald, Poplar Hawkmoth, Swallow Prominent, Dingy Footman, 2 Flame Shoulders, Large Yellow Underwing, Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Six-striped Rustic, Square-spot Rustic, White-point, Southern Wainscot, Copper Underwing, Dark Arches, Lesser Common Rustic, Rosy Rustic, 2 Burnished Brasses, Silver Y, Spectacle, Straw Dot and Snout.


A Scorpion Fly proved to be Parnorpa germanica and although I can't remember what we thought at the time I think this beetle must be Great Silver Water Beetle (though open to contrary suggestions).

Great Silver Water Beetle, Church Marsh, Surlingham, 27th August

Panrorpa germanica (male, examined), Church Marsh, Surlingham, 27th August

Oblique Carpet and Shaded Pug, unexpected local records

15th June was fairly unremarkable by mid June standards.  Poplar Grey was the only new moth for the year.

Poplar Grey, North Elmham, 15th June

The other moths were 2 Diamond-back Moths Plutella xylostella, 4 Buff Rush Case-bearers Coleophora caespititiella, Garden Cosmet Mompha subbistrigella, Plum Tortrix Hedya pruniana, Hook-streaked Grass-Veneer Crambus lathoniellus, 2 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis, 5 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, Bee Moth Aphomia sociella, 2 Common Swifts, 2 Silver-ground Carpets, Foxglove Pug, 4 Common Pugs, Clouded Border, 2 Scorched Wings, Willow Beauty, Common White Wave, Light Emerald, Poplar Hawkmoth, Elephant Hawkmoth, Common Footman, 5 White Ermines, 3 Buff Ermines, Cinnabar, 7 Heart and Darts, Flame, Ingrailed Clay, 2 Small Square-spots, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Common Wainscot, 2 Brown Rustics, Marbled Minor, Middle-barred Minor, 15 Treble Lines, 2 Mottled Rustics, 3 Burnished Brasses, 2 Spectacles and 4 Straw Dots.

One of the caddisflies was a new species for me: Tinodes waeneri.  The others included Rhyacophila dorsalis, Limnephilus flavicornis, 2 Limnephilus lunatus and Mystacides longicornis.

Tinodes waeneri, North Elmham, 15th June

Limnephilus flavicornis, North Elmham, 15th June

The following night was much better.  The highlight was a surprise Oblique Carpet, a species I associate with the Broads.  In fact there are a handful of records from elsewhere in Norfolk but they appear to be very thin on the ground away from the Broads.  In west Norfolk (VC28) there don't appear to have been any other records since one in 2013, so it's not something I particularly expected to turn up in my trap.

Oblique Carpet, North Elmham, 16th June

Another species I didn't really expect to see here was Shaded Pug.  This is mainly a Breckland species, though with a fair few records along the north and west coasts too.  In the middle of the county there aren't many records at all, so another good local record.

Shaded Pug, North Elmham, 16th June

Among the 67 species recorded were a further 9 new for the year at home: Fulvous Clothes Moth Tinea semifulvella, Light Grey Tortrix Cnephasia incertana, Marbled Orchard Tortrix Hedya nubiferana, Little Grey Eudonia lacustrata, Lesser Pearl Sitochroa verticalis, Maiden's Blush, 2 Large Yellow Underwings, 2 Dark Arches and 2 Dusky Brocades.

Lesser Pearl Sitochroa verticalis, North Elmham, 16th June

Maiden's Blush, North Elmham, 16th June

Fulvous Clothes Moth Tinea semifulvella, North Elmham, 16th June

Dusky Brocade, North Elmham, 16th June

Marbled Orchard Tortrix Hedya nubiferana, North Elmham, 16th June

Other species were Carrion Moth Monopis weaverella, Cypress Tip Moth Argyresthia cupressella, 9 Diamond-back Moths Plutella xylostella, Buff Rush Case-bearer Coleophora caespititiella, Privet Tortrix Clepsis consimilana, Barred Marble Celypha striana, 5 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Plum Tortrix Hedya pruniana, Crescent Bell Epinotia bilunana, Yellow-faced Bell Notocelia cynosbatella, Hoary Bell Eucosma cana, 4 Hook-streaked Grass-Veneers Crambus lathoniellus, Common Grey Scoparia ambigualis, Narrow-winged Grey Eudonia angustea, 12 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, 5 Common Swifts, Pebble Hook-tip, Blood-vein, 3 Treble Brown Spots, 5 Silver-ground Carpets, Garden Carpet, Common Marbled Carpet, Green Carpet, Sandy Carpet, Foxglove Pug, Lime-speck Pug, Common Pug, 2 Grey Pugs, 3 Clouded Borders, Brown Silver-line, 3 Scorched Wings, 2 Brimstone Moths, 2 Willow Beauties, Clouded Silver, 7 Light Emeralds, Poplar Hawkmoth, Elephant Hawkmoth, Buff-tip, Orange Footman, 2 Common Footmen, 5 White Ermines, 2 Buff Ermines, 9 Heart and Darts, 2 Flames, 2 Ingrailed Clays, Setaceous Hebrew Character, 3 Bright-line Brown-eyes, Rustic Shoulder-knot, 8 Brown Rustics, Clouded-bordered Brindle, 2 Middle-barred Minors, 8 Treble Lines, 2 Mottled Rustics, 3 Burnished Brasses, Beautiful Golden Y and 3 Straw Dots.

Plum Tortrix Hedya pruniana, North Elmham, 16th June

Burnished Brass, North Elmham, 16th June

Crescent Bell Epinotia bilunana, North Elmham, 16th June

Grey Pug (male, gen det), North Elmham, 16th June

Caddisflies included anoither Tinodes waeneri, Hydropsyche pellucidula and Limnephilus lunatus.