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.

Sunday 31 January 2021

Review of 2019 and 2020 - Caddisflies: part 3 of Limnephilidae

Family LIMNEPHILIDAE (continued)



Limnephilus ignavus - One in my garden trap on 20th October 2019.  This was the third consecutive year I recorded one here but there was to be no repeat in 2020.

male Limnephilus ignavus, North Elmham, 20th October 2019


Limnephilus sparsus - A total of 14 caught in the garden between 26th August and 30th September 2019 and 10 between 21st May and 23rd October 2020, both less than half the number recorded here in 2018.  Also one at the meadows on 15th September 2019 and 2 there on 17th May 2020.  Elsewhere 1-2 at Hills and Holes, Whitwell Street, Penberth (Cornwall) and Tresidder (Cornwall).

male Limnephilus sparsus, North Elmham, 26th August 2019


male Limnephilus sparsus, North Elmham, 10th September 2019


Limnephilus sparsus, North Elmham, 25th September 2019


male Limnephilus sparsus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 17th May 2020


male Limnephilus sparsus, North Elmham, 31st July 2020


male Limnephilus sparsus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 21st August 2020


Limnephilus fuscicornis - None.  I've never found this species but are a few records in Norfolk so it's another one to keep an eye out for, although apparently it doesn't usually come to light so my chances might be quite low.


Limnephilus extricatus - a female in the garden moth trap on 16th May 2019 was my first ever.

female Limnephilus extricatus, North Elmham, 16th May 2019


Limnephilus centralis - None.  This is another one that I've not yet recorded.  It's quite widespread in east Norfolk but not many records in VC28 it seems.


Limnephilus hirsutus - Singles caught in the garden on 25th August 2019 and 22nd August 2020.  I've only caught this species on one other occasion - here in 2017.


male Limnephilus hirsutus, North Elmham, 25th August 2019 - showing side profile of the end of the abdomen



male Limnephilus hirsutus, North Elmham, 22nd August 2020 - showing side profile of the end of the abdomen


Limnephilus auricula - A total of 46 trapped here between 25th April and 16th November and 51 between 23rd April and 31st October 2020.  These totals compare with 103 in 2016 (when I wasnm't attempting to identify all of the caddisflies I caught) and 179 in 2018.  Although this species has two clear peaks, one in May and one in September-October, I have recorded it throughout the summer.  Elsewhere found at the meadows on 6 nights and 5 in Cornwall.

female Limnephilus auricula, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 22nd April 2019


male Limnephilus auricula, North Elmham, 23rd October 2019


male Limnephilus auricula, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 1st November 2019


male Limnephilus auricula, North Elmham, 23rd April 2020


Limnephilus vittatus - In spring 2019 one caught in the garden on 3rd June then in the normally-larger autumn generation 5 between 22nd September and 20th October.  I caught more than this in each of the previous 2 years but 2020 was worse - just singles on 14th September and 1st October.

male Limnephilus vittatus, North Elmham, 3rd June 2019


male Limnephilus vittatus, North Elmham, 22nd September 2019


male Limnephilus vittatus, North Elmham, 1st October 2020


Chaetopteryx villosa - None - judging from the number of records showing on the NBN Atlas this must be one of the commonest caddisflies that I haven't seen yet - there are even records at 2 sites between here and the neighbouring village of Hoe.


Micropterna lateralis - None but I've caught 3 of these here before (2 in 2018).  One Mictopterna sp. was caught on 3rd June 2019 but I lost it before I could confirm which species was involved.


Micropterna sequax - Males caught at the meadows on 31st May and 30th June 2019 but none at home that year.  One here in 2020, on 19th May, and I've caught this species at home previously (2 in 2017).

male Micropterna sequax, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 31st May 2019


male Micropterna sequax, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 30th June 2019


female Micropterna sequax, North Elmham, 19th May 2020


Stenophylax permistus - None.  I don't think either species of Stenophylax is very common in Norfolk but this one looks like it's the more plausible one to occur here.  (Update - it's plausibility is now confirmed - I caught one in my garden moth trap on 13th April 2021).


Potamophylax latipennis - None.  All 3 Potamophylax species occur in Norfolk (the others being cingulatus and rotundipennis) but this is the only one that appears to be common.  Not common enough for me to have ever encountered one though.


Halesus digitatus - None.  There are enough records of this species in Norfolk to make it worthwhile checking all my Halesus carefully for it, but so far they've all been the following species.


Halesus radiatus - 3 caught in the garden between 12th October and 13th November 2019 - a poor year considering that I had 15 here in 2018 but 2020 was a bit better with 8 between 15th October and 6th November.  Elsewhere 6 at Tresidder during my week in Cornwall in early October 2020.  Of the 17, 16 were males on which the genitalic features never quite look like the diagram in the Barnard and Ross Handbook but match the radiatus images that were on the trichoptera.insects-online.de website (the external appearance has also pointed to radiatus to a lesser or greater extent).

male Halesus radiatus, North Elmham, 12th October 2019


male Halesus radiatus, North Elmham, 18th October 2019


male Halesus radiatus, North Elmham, 13th November 2019


male Halesus radiatus, Tresidder (Cornwall), 7th October 2020



male Halesus radiatus, Tresidder (Cornwall), 8th October 2020 - showing abdomen partly cleared to make it easier to see the genitalic characters


male Halesus radiatus, North Elmham, 17th October 2020


male Halesus radiatus, North Elmham, 18th October 2020


male Halesus radiatus, North Elmham, 6th November 2020



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