Rush Venner Nomophila noctuella, North Elmham, 28th August
Also new for the year was this Svensson's Copper Underwing.
Svensson's Copper Underwing (male, gen det), North Elmham, 28th August
Otherwise it was a marginal improvement on the previous couple of nights but fairly mediocre: Beech Midget Phyllonorycter maestingella, Apple/Orchard/Spindle Ermine agg. Yponomeuta padella/malinellus/cagnagella agg., Dingy Dowd Blastobasis adustella, Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana, 2 Dark-triangle Buttons Acleris laterana, 2 Garden Rose Tortrixes Acleris variegana, 6 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, 2 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, 2 Elbow-stripe Grass-veneers Agriphila geniculea, Marsh Grey Eudonia pallida, 2 Narrow-winged Greys Eudonia angustea, Ringed China-mark Parapoynx stratiotata, Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla, 3 Chinese Characters, 2 Single-dotted Waves, 3 Brimstone Moths, Dusky Thorn, Willow Beauty, 5 Flame Shoulders, Large Yellow Underwing, 4 Lesser Yellow Underwings, Small Square-spot, 2 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, 2 Six-striped Rustics, 6 Square-spot Rustics, 6 Common Wainscots, Mouse Moth, 6 Flounced Rustics, Straw Dot, Snout and Pinion-streaked Snout.
Three mayflies were all different species, though the commonest species here: Lake Olive Cloeon simile, Pale Evening Dun Procloeon bifidum and Blue-winged Olive Serratella ignita. A variety of caddisflies consisted of Oxyethira flavicornis, 2 Hydropsyche siltalai, 4 Hydropsyche pellucidula and another Small Silver Sedge Lepidostoma hirtum. There were also 3 Birch Shieldbugs, 5 Forest Bugs and 2 Aphodius rufipes.
Next day I found Case-bearing Clothes Moth Tinea pellionella and the leafhopper Kleidocerys resedae inside the house. There were 2 more new moths for the year that night, Purple Argent Argyresthia albistria and Dark Ash Bud Moth Prays ruficeps.
Purple Argent Argyresthia albistria, North Elmham, 29th August
Dark Ash Bud Moth Prays ruficeps, North Elmham, 29th August
The male genitalia of Eudonia truncicolella and Eudonia mercurella are rather similar to one another but the two moths' outward appearance is so different this does not usually present a problem. I am usually dissecting mercurella to separate from lacustrata and truncicolella to separate from one of the other larger species, not to separate them from one another. I often dissect mercurella from home but so far have not had any candidates for truncicolella at home (they seem to be common on heathlands but not so much in garden habitat). A Eudonia sp. trapped this night was retained as it was too worn to identify with confidence and when I went to dissect it I noticed it seemed to have that scratchy coarsely-marked appearance I associate more with truncicolla (shared with Scoparia basistrigalis to some degree but that's easy to eliminate on dissection if not before) - might this be my first garden truncicollela? Well the genitalia confirmed we were dealing with Eudonia and taking other factors into account mercurella and truncicolella are the only feasible options. What's left of the wing pattern seems to me to be a better fit for truncicolella than mercurella, but given how worn it is I am not confident. Size would often be a help here but though this is comfortably in range for truncicolella it's also within range for a large mercurella. You can separate murana from truncicolella by the presence or absence of a hamus, a little structure near the base of the forewing. This lacked a hamus like truncicollela but I can't find any references that say whether mercurella should have a hamus or not. I could check this myself when I trap some more but that probably won't be until next year now. It's a bit on the late side for mercurella but there are still truncicollela flying - however it's not too late for mercurella. All things considered I regard this as a possible Ground-moss Grey Eudonia truncicolella, but I am not certain enough to add it to my garden list yet. Maybe in due course I will be able to find suffiicient differences in the genitalia to enable a confident ID and then, or if I ever find mercurella does have a hamus, I might be able to retrospectively record it, but for now I shall await a fresher specimen or a female.
possible Ground-moss Grey Eudonia truncicolella, North Elmham, 29th August
Although I didn't get a positive ID out of this the experience has taught me one thing that's useful. I was under the impression that murana was a north-western species that would be highly unlikely to occur in Norfolk. I also thought that they were a bit more obviously different than they really are (judging by some photos I have now seen) and so haven't ever bothered critically checking specimens of truncicolella to eliminate murana. In researching this moth I find that there is a record of murana from Suffolk and a suggestion on the Suffolk Moths website that the species is "probably not very rare". If that's really the case in Suffolk then it's probably true in Norfolk too (though no records to date), so I should probably be looking at truncicolella more carefully in future.
Other moths were 2 Light Brown Apple Moths Epiphyas postvittana, Dark-triangle Button Acleris laterana, 4 Garden Rose Tortrixes Acleris variegana, 7 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Blotched Marble Endothenia quadrimaculana, Smoky-barred Marble Lobesia abscisana, 3 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, 4 Elbow-stripe Grass-veneers Agriphila geniculea, 2 Narrow-winged Greys Eudonia angustea, Ringed China-mark Parapoynx stratiotata, Mother of Pearl Pleuroptya ruralis, 2 Chinese Characters, 4 Blood-veins, 2 Small Dusty Waves, Single-dotted Wave, Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet, Garden Carpet, Common Carpet, Common Marbled Carpet, 3 Green Carpets, Currant Pug, Treble-bar, 7 Brimstone Moths, Willow Beauty, 7 Light Emeralds, Coxcomb Prominent, Flame Shoulder, 7 Large Yellow Underwings, 15 Lesser Yellow Underwings, Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, 3 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, 2 Six-striped Rustics, 3 Square-spot Rustics, Feathered Gothic, 9 Common Wainscots, Copper Underwing, Straw Underwing, 9 Flounced Rustics, Rosy Rustic, 2 Vine's Rustics, 2 Burnished Brasses, Straw Dot, 7 Snouts and Pinion-streaked Snout.
Blotched Marble Endothenia quadrimaculana, North Elmham, 29th August
Mayflies consisted of 2 Pond Olives Cloeon dipterum and a Pale Evening Dun Procloeon bifidum. A good selection of caddisflies too: 2 Polycentropus flavomaculatus, Hydropsyche siltalai, 9 Hydropsyche pellucidula, Small Silver Sedge Lepidostoma hirtum, Mottled Sedge Glyphotaelius pellucidus, Grammotaulius nigropunctatus, Limnephilus auricula, 9 Limnephilus lunatus and Limnephilus marmoratus. Also 3 Aphodius rufipes (dung-beetles).
The following night was quite poor: Garden Rose Tortrix Acleris variegana, 2 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, Elbow-stripe Grass-veneer Agriphila geniculea, 3 Narrow-winged Greys Eudonia angustea, Blood-vein, 2 Light Emeralds, Coxcomb Prominent, 4 Large Yellow Underwings, 11 Lesser Yellow Underwings, 2 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, 2 Square-spot Rustics, 2 Common Wainscots, 9 Flounced Rustics, Rosy Rustic, Straw Dot and Snout; also the caddisflies Limnephilus lunatus and 2 Limnephilus marmoratus.
The next night wasn't much better: Little Dwarf Elachista canapennella, White-shouldered House Moth Endrosis sarcitrella, 2 Light Brown Apple Moths Epiphyas postvittana, 2 Garden Rose Tortrixes Acleris variegana, Common Grass-veneer Agriphila tristella, 3 Narrow-winged Greys Eudonia angustea, Brimstone Moth, Common White Wave, 5 Light Emeralds, 3 Lesser Yellow Underwings, Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Six-striped Rustic, 3 Square-spot Rustics, 3 Common Wainscots, 9 Flounced Rustics, 2 Vine's Rustics and Snout; also 3 Limnephilus lunatus (caddis) and Aphodius rufipes (beetle).
September kicked off with my first Centre-barred Sallow of the year.
Centre-barred Sallow, North Elmham, 1st September
Again not a huge catch that night: 5 Garden Rose Tortrixes Acleris variegana, 5 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Common Grass-veneer Agriphila tristella, 2 Elbow-stripe Grass-veneers Agriphila geniculea, Chinese Character, Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet, Green Carpet, Sharp-angled Carpet, Brimstone Moth, Engrailed, 4 Light Emeralds, Poplar Hawk-moth, Large Yellow Underwing, 8 Lesser Yellow Underwings, 7 Square-spot Rustics, Common Wainscot, Mouse Moth, 9 Flounced Rustics, 2 Burnished Brasses, 3 Snouts, Hydropsyche pellucidula, Limnephilus lunatus and Aphodius rufipes.
Next day I was at Minsmere where in addition to Small Copper and Common Blue butterflies we found a Frosted Orange feeding on Fleabane and a Copper Underwing in the Bittern hide. Moths in the garden that night consisted of 2 Light Brown Apple Moths Epiphyas postvittana, Dark-triangle Button Acleris laterana, Garden Rose Tortrix Acleris variegana, Elbow-stripe Grass-veneer Agriphila geniculea, Narrow-winged Grey Eudonia angustea, Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla, Double-striped Pug, Light Emerald, 2 Lesser Yellow Underwings, 2 Square-spot Rustics and 12 Flounced Rustics.
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