Review of 2019 and 2020 - Moths: Ermines (Yponomeutidae) (part 2: Swammerdamia complex, Cedestis and Ocnerostoma)

ERMINES (YPONOMEUTIDAE) (continued)


Copper-tipped Ermine Pseudoswammerdamia combinella - Singles in my garden moth trap on 1st June 2019 and 27th May 2020 were only my second and third records ever (first was here in May 2015).

Copper-tipped Ermine Pseudoswammerdamia combinella, North Elmham, 1st June 2019

Copper-tipped Ermine Pseudoswammerdamia combinella, North Elmham, 27th May 2020

Birch Ermine Swammerdamia caesiella - One in the garden trap on 30th July 2020.  I've only recorded this species twice before at home, in 2016 and 2018 - surprisingly scarce for a common birch-feeding species (there is a birch in my front garden and huge one in next door's garden).  Although this is grade 2 it would take a very clear and fresh example to satisfy me the ID was correct without gen detting.

male Birch Ermine Swammerdamia caesiella, North Elmham, 30th July 2020

Little Ermine Swammerdamia pyrella - One at the meadows on 25th May 2019 and then 11 in my garden between 21st July and 8th August, the worst showing here four 4 years.  A more typical 25 in my garden between 16th July and 13th August 2020.  Although fresh examples can be straightforward I find I have to confirm a lot of these by gen detting.  Some of the other species in this group can show a slight purply or coppery sheen to their terminal cilia (including Paraswammerdamia nebulella for example) and worn pyrella can lose this altogether. Other characters don't seem to be very reliable either, at least on any but the freshest specimens.

Little Ermine Swammerdamia pyrella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May 2019

male Little Ermine Swammerdamia pyrella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 16th July 2020

male Little Ermine Swammerdamia pyrella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 5th August 2020

male Little Ermine Swammerdamia pyrella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 11th August 2020

White-headed Ermine Paraswammerdamia albicapitella - 4 trapped at home and one at the meadows between 5th June and 30th August 2019 making it my equal-best year for this species, but this was bettered in 2020 when I caught 6 in the garden and 3 at the meadows between 25th May and 19th August.  Beware worn nebulella which can look very white on the thorax - I gen det any that aren't fresh and obvious and sometimes get a surprise.

White-headed Ermine Paraswammerdamia albicapitella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 6th June 2019

White-headed Ermine Paraswammerdamia albicapitella, North Elmham, 12th June 2020

Hawthorn Ermine Paraswammerdamia nebulella - 10 trapped here between 23rd June and 25th July 2019 and 11 between 18th June and 31st July 2020.  Both fairly average years though well down on the 21 in 2018.

Hawthorn Ermine Paraswammerdamia nebulella, North Elmham, 23rd June 2019

Hawthorn Ermine Paraswammerdamia nebulella, North Elmham, 17th July 2019

Hawthorn Ermine Paraswammerdamia nebulella, North Elmham, 18th June 2020

Hawthorn Ermine Paraswammerdamia nebulella, North Elmham, 30th June 2020

Hawthorn Ermine Paraswammerdamia nebulella, North Elmham, 18th July 2020

Gold Pine Ermine Cedestis gysseleniella - one trapped in my garden on 25th July 2019, my second here following one in 2016.

Gold Pine Ermine Cedestis gysseleniella, North Elmham, 25th July 2019

Brown Pine Ermine Cedestis subfasciella - One at Bintree Wood on 13th June 2020 and singles in the garden on 5th and 15th August.  I'd only ever seen one before, in my garden in 2015.

Brown Pine Ermine Cedestis subfasciella, Bintree Wood, 13th June 2020

Brown Pine Ermine Cedestis subfasciella, North Elmham, 15th August 2020

Grey Pine Ermine Ocnerostoma friesei - A worn one to LEDs at Hills and Holes on 21st May 2020, my second ever record (one at home in 2017).

male Grey Pine Ermine Ocnerostoma friesei, Hills and Holes, 21st May 2020

Next page: Ypsolophidae

And then it all happened...

Mothing at home this year has been fairly uneventful with no new moths for the house until Thursday night.  Recently numbers have picked up but variety has remained low - even new moths for the year have been hard to come by.  Then Thursday night happened.

The clear highlight was a Grey Pine Ermel Ocnerostoma friesei - a tiny grey moth that isn't much to look at but is a great record, and my first.  There are just five previous Norfolk records, all from 2011 and 2014 and all from one observer and one location (Dersingham).

Grey Pine Ermel Ocnerostoma friesei (male, gen det), North Elmham, 30th March

Another good moth was Scarce Alder Slender Caloptilia falconipennella - my second ever (excluding the one I mentioned in my last blog post - I don't count moths if they're brought to me) and first for my garden.

Scarce Alder Slender Caloptilia falconipennella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 30th March

In the same genus and also new for the year and one I've not seen many times before was White-triangle Slender Caloptilia stigmatella.

White-triangle Slender Caloptilia stigmatella, North Elmham, 30th March

Another one I've not often seen and hadn't caught here since 2015 was Pale Pinion.

Pale Pinion, North Elmham, 30th March

I also missed Water Carpet at home last year, although I see plenty of them elsewhere.  Good to get it on the garden year list.

Water Carpet, North Elmham, 30th March

I always enjoy my first Purple Thorn of the year.  The photos taken using flash (first two) showed the warmth of the colours well but I noticed they didn't show the white lunar marks as clearly as they looked in life (especially on the upper hindwing), so I took a couple of photos without using flash too (bottom two).

Purple Thorn, North Elmham, 30th March

Everyone loves a Streamer - another new species for the year.

Streamer, North Elmham, 30th March

More routine new species for the year were Many-plumed Moth Alucita hexadactyla and Double-striped Pug.

Many-plumed Moth Alcuita hexadactyla, North Elmham, 30th March

Double-striped Pug, North Elmham, 30th March

Other moths in the trap were 2 Common Flat-bodies Agonopterix heracliana, 2 Common Plumes Emmelina monodactyla, Brindled Pug, 3 Early Thorns, 4 Small Quakers, 5 Common Quakers, 9 Clouded Drabs, 9 Hebrew Characters and 4 Early Greys.  Also 3 Black Sexton Beetles, what looked like another Ophion scutellaris (Ichneumon) and 3 Green Lacewings (my first here this year) at least one and probably all 3 of which were Chrysoperla carnea.

Friday night was back to more or less normal with a few moths of mainly the same species as normal, although Brindled Beauty was a nice addition to the garden year list.

Brindled Beauty, North Elmham, 31st March

The others were Water Carpet, 2 Early Thorns, Small Quaker, 3 Clouded Drabs, 9 Hebrew Characters and 2 Early Greys. Also a couple of Black Sexton Beetles.