Red-barred Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet

Identification of Red and Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpets is complicated by the fact that some Red Twin-spot Carpets have dark bars while some Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpets have red bars.  Previously cited characters like the little indent into the bar are now considered unreliable and Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet is said to be verging on rare and needing gen detting for confirmation.  Well I get loads here - nearly as many as Red - and I have been confirming them. They've been quite straightforward really - if they've had blackish bars (and typically been a bit on the small side) they've proved to be Dark-barred and if they have red bars (and typically larger) they've turned out to be Red regardless of indents.  One very worn example of a confirmed Dark-barred had seemed bigger and looked like it had probably been a bit reddish when fresh, but by and large they've turned out pretty much as expected.

Red-barred Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpets are said to be rare among Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpets.  So when I found 3 Carpets in Wednesday's catch and 2 hard black bars and one red I thought I'd got both species.  But turns out they were 3 Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpets, all males.

dark-barred and red-barred Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpets (males, gen det), North Elmham, 18th May

Another Small Phoenix was nice, quite a different-looking beast from the last one.

Small Phoenix, North Elmham, 18th May

New for the year were Currant Pug, Poplar Hawkmoth, Pale Prominent and Rustic Shoulder-knot.

Currant Pug, North Elmham, 18th May

Pale Prominent, North Elmham, 18th May

Poplar Hawkmoth, North Elmham, 18th May

Rustic Shoulder-knot, North Elmham, 18th May

The rest of the moths were Common Pug, Brindled Pug, Scalloped Hazel, Coxcomb Prominent, Chocolate-tip, Cinnabar, Clouded Drab and 3 Hebrew Characters.

One caddisfly proved to be a new species for me, Hydropsyche pellucidula.  Others included  Glyphotaelius pellucidus, 4 Limnephilus auriculas and Limnephilus sparsus.

Hydropsyche pellucidula, North Elmham, 18th May