Description


A diary of my mothing activity covering highlights and photos from my moth trapping activities. Mainly Norfolk (UK), occasionally beyond. I may mention other wildlife sightings here, especially insects, but for birds see my birding diary.

Monday, 28 August 2017

Stigmella incognitella

The night of Friday 7th July was one of the best this summer with getting on for 400 moths of 118 species.  The smallest of them was the best - my first Grey Apple Pigmy Stigmella incognitella.

Grey Apple Pigmy Stigmella incognitella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 7th July


Pearl Dwarf Elachista apicipunctella was new for the garden - the first I've seen anywhere for a while.  It's hard to capture in photos but the white fascia and spots are highly shining making this a very attractive little moth.

Pearl Dwarf Elachista apicipunctata (male, gen det), North Elmham, 7th July


Then there was a long list of other moths that were new for the year here: Apple & Plum Case-bearer Coleophora spinella, Dull Red Groundling Bryotropha senectella, Scarce Obscure Oegoconia deauratella, Cereal Tortrix Cnephasia pumicana, Smoky-barred Marble Lobesia abscisana, Large Beech Piercer Cydia fagiglandana, Ash-bark Knot-horn Euzophera pinguis, Dark Umber, Cloaked Minor, Dusky Sallow and Blackneck.

Dull Red Groundling Bryotropha senectella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 7th July


Scarce Obscure Oegoconia deauratella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 7th July


Cereal Tortrix Cnephasia pumicana (female, gen det), North Elmham, 7th July


Smoky Marble Lobesia abscisana, North Elmham, 7th July


Large Beech Piercer Cydia fagiglandana (male, gen det), North Elmham, 7th July


Dark Umber, North Elmham, 7th July


Cloaked Minor, North Elmham, 7th July


Dusky Sallow, North Elmham, 7th July


It was good to get both Yellow-backed Clothes Moth Monopis obviella and Pale-backed Clothes Moth Monopis crocicapitella together - obviella I'd only seen for the first time in June whereas crocicapitella is supposed to be rarer.  I don't think the size difference between these species is usually so extreme but in this case the crocicapitella was literally twice the size of the obviella.  I couldn't persuade them to sit side by side for a photo so had to shoot them in their pots to show the size difference.

Yellow-backed Clothes Moth Monopis obviella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 7th July


Pale-backed Clothes Moth Monopis crocicapitella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 7th July


Yellow-backed Clothes Moth Monopis obviella (left) and Pale-backed Clothes Moth Monopis crocicapitella (right), North Elmham, 7th July


I had my largest count of any species of moth so far this year - 61 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteucha culmella.  Other micros consisted of Bird’s-nest Moth Tinea trinotella, 7 Bird-cherry Ermines Yponomeuta evonymella, 2 Little Ermels Swammerdamia pyrella, White-headed Ermel Paraswammerdamia albicapitella, Speckled Case-bearer Coleophora sternipennella, 3 Little Dwarfs Elachista canapennella, Triple-spot Dwarf Elachista maculicerusella, New Tawny Tubic Batia lunaris, Golden-brown Tubic Crassa unitella, 2 Small Dingy Tubics Borkhausenia fuscescens, Long-horned Flat-body Carcina quercana, 2 Gorse Crests Brachmia blandella, Orange Crest Helcystogramma rufescens, Pine Cosmet Batrachedra pinicolella, Hawthorn Cosmet Blastodacna hellerella, Plain Conch Phtheochroa inopiana, 6 Hook-marked Straw Moths Agapeta hamana, Burdock Conch Aethes rubigana, 2 Dark Fruit-tree Tortrixes Pandemis heparana, 4 Large Fruit-tree Tortrixes Archips podana, 3 Privet Tortrixes Clepsis consimilana, 5 Grey Tortrixes Cnephasia stephensiana, 2 Flax Tortrixes Cnephasia asseclana, Barred Marble Celypha striana, Common Marble Celypha lacunana, Pine Marble Piniphila bifasciana, Rush Marble Bactra lancealana, 2 Triangle-marked Rollers Ancylis achatana, 2 Holly Tortrixes Rhopobota naevana, Bright Bell Eucosma hohenwartiana, 4 Hoary Bells Eucosma cana, Bud Moth Spilonota ocellana, Grass-veneer Crambus pascuella, Yellow Satin Veneer Crambus perlella, Pearl Veneer Agriphila straminella, Pale Water-veneer Donacaula forficella, 2 Water Veneers Acentria ephemerella, 2 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis, 3 Little Greys Eudonia lacustrata, 2 Small Greys Eudonia mercurella, Small Magpie Anania hortulata, 3 Elder Pearls Anania coronata, 14 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, Rosy Tabby Endotricha flammealis, Bee Moth Aphomia sociella, Grey Knot-horn Acrobasis advenella, 2 Ermine Knot-horns Phycitodes binaevella, White Plume Pterophorus pentadactyla and Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla.

Bright Bell Eucosma hohenwartiana, North Elmham, 7th July


The rest of the macros were 2 Drinkers, 3 Blood-veins, Small Blood-vein, Lesser Cream Wave, 7 Small Fan-footed Waves, 9 Single-dotted Waves, 3 Riband Waves, 3 Large Twin-spot Carpets, Garden Carpet, Common Carpet, 3 Yellow Shells, July Highflyer, Haworth's Pug, Lime-speck Pug, 6 V-Pugs, Green Pug, 2 Double-striped Pugs, 4 Clouded Borders, 4 Brimstone Moths, Early Thorn, Scalloped Oak, Swallow-tailed Moth, Willow Beauty, 3 Engraileds, Common White Wave, 2 Clouded Silvers, Pale Prominent, Buff-tip, 2 Yellow-tails, 6 Rosy Footmen, 22 Dingy Footmen, Scarce Footman, 27 Common Footmen, 2 Heart and Darts, Large Yellow Underwing, Lesser Yellow Underwing, 10 Double Square-spots, 2 Nutmegs, Bright-line Brown-eye, 4 Clays, 6 Smoky Wainscots, Tawny Marbled Minor, 2 Common Rustics, Mere Wainscot, 38 Uncertains, 3 Rustics, Mottled Rustic, Marbled White Spot, 6 Nut-tree Tussocks, Beautiful Hook-tip, Straw Dot, Snout and 5 Fan-foots.

Lacewings were represented by Micromus variegatus, a brown lacewing that was new for the year.  There was a new caddisfly for the year too: Agrypnia pagetana; also an Oxyethira flavicornis.

Micromus variegatus, North Elmham, 7th July


Agrypnia pagetana, North Elmham, 7th July


A Hair-trap Ground Beetle Loricera pilicornis was my first, or at least the first time I'd identified one.  A Nut Weevil Curculio nucum was new for the year - one I've seen here before but some accounts on the internet suggest it can be quite a difficult species to find.  Other beetles were Brown Chafer and Lagira hirta.

Hair-trap Ground Beetle Loricera pilicornis, North Elmham, 7th July


Nut Weevil Curculio nucum, North Elmham, 7th July

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