Review of 2019 and 2020 - Moths: Erebids (Erebidae) part 3: Fan-foots, Small Snouts, Beautiful Hook-tip and Red Underwings

EREBIDS (EREBIDAE) (continued)


Dotted Fan-foot Macrochilo cribrumalis - Trapped in the garden on 25th June 2020 and 2nd July, the first I'd caught here since 3 in 2015-16.  Elsewhere one at Bintree Wood on 13th June 2020 and 3 at the meadows on 18th/23rd June 2020.

Dotted Fan-foot, Bintree Wood, 13th June 2020

Dotted Fan-foot, North Elmham, 25th June 2020

Fan-foot Herminia tarsipennalis - A total of 41 here between 24th June and 26th July 2019 was my worst year here but 2020 made it look good by returning just 16 between 19th June and 23rd July.  An average year here is 60.  Elsewhere 2 at the meadows and one at Hellesdon.

Fan-foot, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 7th July 2019

Small Fan-foot Herminia grisealis - I'd caught 54 here in my first 4 years 2015-18 with annual totals ranging from 8 to 24, so it was a bit of a shocker to have a completely blank year in 2019 followed by just a single one (on 26th June) in 2020.


Pinion-streaked Snout Schrankia costaestrigalis - Singles trapped here on 4 nights between 30th August and 24th September 2019 and on 20th August 2020.  I've had 3-6 here in each of the last 4 years but had a blank year in 2015.  Elsewhere one at Row Heath (West Runton) on 31st August 2019 and 4 in Cornwall on 6th/7th October 2020.


Blackneck Lygephila pastinum - None.  I was due a blank year or two after catching one, but only ever one, in each year between 2015 and 2018.


Waved Black Parascotia fuliginaria - None.  I've never seen this species and it's never been recorded round here, but it seems to be increasing in south Norfolk so it's perhaps just a matter of time before it turns up round here.  Hope so anyway.


Beautiful Hook-tip Laspeyria flexula - Totals of 17 here between 23rd June and 24th July 2019 followed by 3 autumn records between 9th and 25th September, then 22 between 12th June and 30th July 2020.  Although the 3 in September 2019 represented my best ever autumn showing the overall totals of 20 and 22 were my worst in the 6 years I've been here - I had been averaging 50 a year.  Elsewhere 6 at the meadows, one at Bintree Wood and 2 at Weybourne.

Beautiful Hook-tip, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 30th June 2019

Beautiful Hook-tip, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 23rd June 2020

Beautiful Marbled Eublemma purpurina - None.  I've never seen this species and until very recently it didn't seem particularly likely that I would see one in Norfolk.  After the first in Norfolk in 2016 there were 5 in 2018, 5 in 2019 and then 30 in 2020.  Given the spread of records and some repeated records of fresh individuals at inland locations it is impossible to conclude that these are all migrants - the species is clearly breeding in the county now.  Currently all the records are north or east of a line curving round from Dersingham across to Stibbard and down to Tasburgh.  I'm only just on the wrong side of that line so if things carry on going the way they've started then it won't be long before I catch one too.  Bring it on!!!


Clifden Nonpareil Catocala fraxini - None.  I've never seen one but rather like the previous species it's only the last couple of years that it has felt like I have anything more than an outside chance of finding one.  Compared to the last species there were a few more old historic records of migrants but the very recent colonisation follows a pattern that's uncannily similar except that there are a few records in the south-west quarter of the county too.  I'm very much looking forward to my first...


Red Underwing Catocala nupta - None in 2019 but 4 between 11th and 26th August 2020.  I have only ever caught 3 in my moth trap here, one in 2014 and 2 together in 2016, but in 2020 I started using sugar.

Red underwing, North Elmham, 11th August 2020

Red underwing, North Elmham, 26th August 2020

Dark Crimson Underwing Catocala sponsa - None.  Another former rare migrant that's very recently colonised the county.  Hopefully they will become a permanent fixture here and it won't be long before one finds its way to my sugar mix...


Burnet Companion Euclidia glyphica - None.  In Norfolk this species is largely restrited to the Brecks but there are a few records elsewhere.  As a day-flying species I'm not expecting to catch one in the garden but there is perhaps a small chance of me finding it at the meadows one day.


Mother Shipton Euclidia mi - None.  Another day-flying species that I don't particularly expect to catch at home but unlike the previous species there are a lot of records across Norfolk and away from the Brecks (although the Brecks is its stronghold).  It's not yet been recorded in this 10km square but I've had it this side of Beetley and I imagine it's quite likely to occur even more locally.


Next page: Noctuidae

Winterton mothing

Saturday 19th August was the night of the Norfolk Moth Survey event at Winterton.  I went along hoping for some good moths but the conditions were quite breezy so not ideal.  We still had a good time though.  There were no new moths for me (actually Stuart showed me leafmines of Sandhill Midget Phyllonorycter quinqueguttella which I've not seen before, but I don't count leafmines, especially vacated ones) but we recorded a few interesting species.

We'd hoped for some migrants and did indeed have a nice haul of 5 Scarce Bordered Straws, a species I'd only seen once before - but some variety on the migrant front would have been nice.  There were 6 White-points and a Diamond-back Moth but I'd been hoping for something a bit more interesting.

Scarce Bordered Straws, Winterton, 19th August

There were plenty of highlights though, including Hook-tipped Grass-veneer Platytes alpinella, Long-legged Tabby Synaphe punctalis, 13 Chevrons, 2 Peacock Moths, 6 White-line Darts, Coast Dart, 15 Archer's Darts, 10 True Lover's Knots, Dotted Clay, 2 Gold Spots and 2 Red Underwings.

Long-legged Tabby Synaphe punctalis, Winterton, 19th August

Chevron, Winterton, 19th August

White-line Dart, Winterton, 19th August

Coast Dart, Winterton, 19th August

Dotted Clay (male, gen det), Winterton, 19th August

Red Underwing, Winterton, 19th August

The other moths included Brown Birch Slender Parornix betulae, Birch Ermel Swammerdamia caesiella, Dull Red Groundling Bryotropha senectella, 2 Dusky Groundlings Aroga velocella, Pointed Groundling Scrobipalpa acuminatella, Chequered Fruit-tree Tortrix Pandemis corylana, Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana, 2 Birch Marbles Apotomis betuletana, 2 Small Birch Bells Epinotia ramella, Marbled Piercer Cydia splendana, Pearl Veneer Agriphila straminella, Common Grass-veneer Agriphila tristella, 42 Barred Grass-veneers Agriphila inquinatella, 3 Pearl Grass-veneers Catoptria pinella, 3 Ground-moss Greys Eudonia truncicolella, 2 Small Greys Eudonia mercurella, Heather Knot-horn Pempelia palumbella, 2 Scalloped Hook-tips, 3 Pebble Hook-tips, 2 Small Fan-footed Waves, 5 Narrow-winged Pugs, 3 Double-striped Pugs, Yellow-barred Brindle, 2 Canary-shouldered Thorns, Willow Beauty, 2 Light Emeralds, Poplar Hawk-moth, Iron Prominent, Lesser Swallow Prominent, Swallow Prominent, 2 Coxcomb Prominents, Garden Tiger, 2 Shuttle-shaped Darts, 16 Flame Shoulders, 20 Large Yellow Underwings, Lesser Yellow Underwing, Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, 26 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwings, 14 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, 5 Six-striped Rustics, Nutmeg, 2 Cabbage Moths, 3 Common Wainscots, 10 Straw Underwings, Angle Shades, 5 Dark Arches, Rosy Rustic, Vine's Rustic, Pale Mottled Willow and 2 Burnished Brasses.

Birch Ermel Swammerdamia caesiella (female, gen det), Winterton, 19th August

Pointed Groundling Scrobipalpa acuminatella (male, gen det confirmed by Jon Clifton), Winterton, 19th August

The only caddisflies I noted were 3 Limnephilus marmoratus.  This weevil proved to be a new species for me, Hypera zoilus.

Hypera zoilus, Winterton, 19th August

I was uncertain about the ID of this leafhopper - it resembled Mocydiopsis attenuata but the length of the final abdominal segment seemed a good match for the photo on British Bugs of Mocydiopsis parvicauda.  That species normally lacks the dark spot in the clavus which this one had but the text in the website implied that it could possibly have the dark spot sometimes.  So I contacted Tony Irwin, an old friend and county recorder for leafhoppers among other things.  He noted a resemblance to Mocydiopsis intermedia, a species not recorded in Britain, but he was at pains to point out that it would probably turn out to be less exciting.  He later examined the insect for me and confirmed that it was Mocydiopsis attenuata - so not quite as exciting as a new species for Britain but perhaps still the best record of the night as Tony thinks it was new for the vice county.

Mocydiopsis attenuata (gen det by Tony Irwin), Winterton, 19th August

Agriphila latistria, Red Underwings and ANOTHER basaltinella

The night of 25th August was nearly as good as the previous three nights in terms of numbers and variety, if not quite so.  Only one moth was new for the year though, but a fairly decent one that was also new for the house - White-streak Grass-veneer Agriphila latistria.  A lot of people have been reporting this species in places it doesn't normally turn up recently - whether they are migrants or the species is just having a good year locally I'm not sure

White-streak Grass-veneer Agriphila latistria, North Elmham, 25th August

The other micros were Golden Argent Argyresthia goedartella, 2 Little Ermels Swammerdamia pyrella, 2 Diamond-back Moths Plutella xylostella, Woundwort Case-bearer Coleophora lineolea, Long-horned Flat-body Carcina quercana, Black-headed Conch Cochylis atricapitana, 2 Light Brown Apple Moths Epiphyas postvittana, Dover Shade Cnephasia genitalana, 2 Dark-triangle Buttons Acleris laterana, 3 Garden Rose Tortrixes Acleris variegana, Barred Marble Celypha striana, 4 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, 2 Rush Marbles Bactra lancealana, Red Piercer Lathronympha strigana, Marbled Piercer Cydia splendana, Pearl Veneer Agriphila straminella, 4 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, 9 Elbow-stripe Grass-veneers Agriphila geniculea, Chequered Grass-veneer Catoptria falsella, Water Veneer Acentria ephemerella, Narrow-winged Grey Eudonia angustea, 2 Ringed China-marks Parapoynx stratiotata, 5 Garden Pebbles Evergestis forficalis, 4 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, Double-striped Tabby Hypsopygia glaucinalis, 2 Grey Knot-horns Acrobasis advenella, White Plume Pterophorus pentadactyla and Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla.

Macros consisted of 2 Orange Swifts, Blood-vein, Red Twin-spot Carpet, Common Carpet, 5 Green Carpets, Sharp-angled Carpet, Maple Pug, Lime-speck Pug, 2 Double-striped Pugs, 2 Treble-bars, 16 Brimstone Moths, 3 Canary-shouldered Thorns, 6 Dusky Thorns, 3 Willow Beauties, Common White Wave, 5 Poplar Hawkmoths, 2 Sallow Kittens, 2 Iron Prominents, Lesser Swallow Prominent, 2 Swallow Prominents, 2 Shuttle-shaped Darts, 17 Flame Shoulders, 19 Large Yellow Underwings, 4 Lesser Yellow Underwings, 9 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwings, Small Square-spot, 9 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, 2 Six-striped Rustics, 13 Square-spot Rustics, Cabbage Moth, 4 Common Wainscots, Straw Underwing, Dun-bar, Dark Arches, Common Rustic, 10 Flounced Rustics, Burnished Brass, Spectacle, 37 Straw Dots and 3 Snouts.

Atrhripsodes albifrons, North Elmham, 25th August

Not one but 2 Red Underwings were the highlight of the following night.

Red Underwings, North Elmham, 26th August

It was otherwise much quieter than recent nights with Diamond-back Moth Plutella xylostella, Small Clover Case-bearer Coleophora alcyonipennella, Little Dwarf Elachista canapennella, Chamomile Conch Cochylidia implicitana, 3 Light Brown Apple Moths Epiphyas postvittana, 2 Garden Rose Tortrixes Acleris variegana, Barred Marble Celypha striana, 2 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Marbled Piercer Cydia splendana, Pearl Veneer Agriphila straminella, 2 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, 3 Elbow-stripe Grass-veneers Agriphila geniculea, 4 Ringed China-marks Parapoynx stratiotata, 2 Garden Pebbles Evergestis forficalis, 3 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, 2 Common Plumes Emmelina monodactyla, 2 Single-dotted Waves, Red Twin-spot Carpet, 5 Green Carpets, Currant Pug, Double-striped Pug, Yellow-barred Brindle, 2 Brimstone Moths, 2 Canary-shouldered Thorns, 2 Dusky Thorns, Poplar Hawkmoth, Iron Prominent, 2 Lesser Swallow Prominents, Coxcomb Prominent, Dingy Footman, Shuttle-shaped Dart, 18 Flame Shoulders, Large Yellow Underwing, 11 Lesser Yellow Underwings, 2 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwings, 3 Small Square-spots, 10 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, Square-spotted Clay, Six-striped Rustic, 9 Square-spot Rustics, 2 Common Wainscots, Centre-barred Sallow, 14 Flounced Rustics, Vine's Rustic, Silver Y, Spectacle and 18 Straw Dots.

Chamomile Conch Cochylidia implicitana, North Elmham, 26th August

The following night I joined the Norfolk Moth Survey at Church Marsh, Surlingham.  I will do a separate post about that shortly, probably tomorrow, but in the meantime here's what I had at home that night.  There were a few more moths than the night before, and more variety, but none were new for the year.  The rarest in Norfolk terms, if not in my garden terms, was another Thatch Groundling Scoparia basaltinella, bringing my garden total, and the entire county total, up to 5.

Thatch Groundling Bryotropha basaltinella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 27th August

Other micros were Bordered Carl Coptotriche marginea, Horse Chestnut Leaf-miner Cameraria ohridella, Bird-cherry Ermine Yponomeuta evonymella, Little Ermel Swammerdamia pyrella, Woundwort Case-bearer Coleophora lineolea, 4 Brown House Moths Hofmannophila pseudospretella, Brown-spot Flat-body Agonopterix alstromeriana, House Groundling Bryotropha domestica, Dingy Dowd Blastobasis adustella, Chamomile Conch Cochylidia implicitana, Chequered Fruit-tree Tortrix Pandemis corylana, Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana, Maple Button Acleris forsskaleana, Acleris laterana agg., 7 Garden Rose Tortrixes Acleris variegana, Common Marble Celypha lacunana, Rush Marble Bactra lancealana, Plum Fruit Moth Grapholita funebrana, Pale-streak Grass-veneer Agriphila selasella, 4 Elbow-stripe Grass-veneers Agriphila geniculea, 2 Chequered Grass-veneers Catoptria falsella, Narrow-winged Grey Eudonia angustea, Ringed China-mark Parapoynx stratiotata, 2 Garden Pebbles Evergestis forficalis, Rush Veneer Nomophila noctuella, 6 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, 3 Grey Knot-horns Acrobasis advenella and Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla.

Brown-spot Flat-body Agonopterix alstromeriana, North Elmham, 27th August

The macros were 2 Orange Swifts, Maiden's Blush, Single-dotted Wave, Riband Wave, Red Twin-spot Carpet, 3 Common Carpets, Common Marbled Carpet, 5 Green Carpets, Double-striped Pug, 2 Treble-bars, Yellow-barred Brindle, Clouded Border, 20 Brimstone Moths, 3 Dusky Thorns, 2 Common Waves, 2 Light Emeralds, Poplar Hawkmoth, 2 Lesser Swallow Prominents, Dingy Footman, Shuttle-shaped Dart, 15 Flame Shoulders, 23 Large Yellow Underwings, 8 Lesser Yellow Underwings, 5 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwings, 2 Small Square-spots, 13 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, 2 Six-striped Rustics, 12 Square-spot Rustics, Common Wainscot, Angle Shades, Dark Arches, 7 Flounced Rustics, 4 Burnished Brasses, 19 Straw Dots and 3 Snouts.

Maiden's Blush, North Elmham, 27th August

Other bits and pieces included the Green Lacewing Cunctochrysa albolineata, 3 Forest Bugs (Red-legged Shieldbugs), this Harlequin Ladybird and my first Hornet of the year.

Harlequin Ladybird, North Elmham, 27th August