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.

Wednesday 17 February 2021

Review of 2019 and 2020 - Moths: Clothes Moths (Tineidae) (part 1: Morophaga, Nemopogon and Tineola)

CLOTHES MOTHS (TINEIDAE)


Silver-barred Clothes Moth Infurcitinea argentimaculella - None.  I've never found this species but it's reasonably widespread and there's enough lichen at the meadows that I should be in with a shout for it there.


Large Clothes Moth Morophaga choragella - 3 in my garden moth trap between 17th July and 21st August 2019, which is as many as I had caught here since I moved in in 2014 (one in 2016 and 2 in 2017).  Also one at Weybourne on 5th July but none recorded in 2020.

Large Clothes Moth Morophaga choragella, North Elmham, 17th July 2019


Large Clothes Moth Morophaga choragella, North Elmham, 21st August 2019



Large Brindled Clothes Moth Triaxomera parasitella - None.  This is one of a handful of species I used to see more at my last house than this one - only one here so far (in 2018) compared to 4 in fewer years (and without a proper moth trap) at Bawdeswell.


Corn Moth Nemapogon granella - Although never in the moth trap I have seen this species here annually since 2016 and recorded 5 in 2019/20.  In 2019 one in my bathroom on 8th April, one to Red-belted Clearwing pheremone lure on 6th June and one came into my study on 8th July.  In 2020 one netted in the garden on 15th May and one on the outside of the patio door on 1st June.

male Corn Moth Nemapogon granella, North Elmham, 8th April 2019



Cork Moth Nemapogon cloacella - 5 here between 24th June and 24th July 2019, my equal best year here but bettered in 2020 when 6 between 20th May and 6th August.  Also 3 caught at the meadows and one at Hills and Holes.  I used to get more of these at Bawdeswell than I do here.

Cork Moth Nemapogon cloacella, North Elmham, 24th June 2019


Cork Moth Nemapogon cloacella, North Elmham, 25th June 2020



male Cork Moth Nemapogon cloacella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 9th September 2020 (I'm not sure the aedeagus is to scale with the rest of the genitalia)



White-speckled Clothes Moth Nemapogon koenigi - One at the meadows on 15th June 2019 and one at home on 23rd August, then in 2020 an impressive total of 6 in the garden between 19th May and 6th August (the first to Yellow-legged Clearwing pheremone lure, the second netted and the rest in the moth trap).  This species is nearly annual in the garden though I missed catching one here 2016.  It was also regular at Bawdeswell where I recorded the second for Norfolk back in 2011 - the species seems to have only become common in the last decade.

White-speckled Clothes Moth Nemapogon koenigi, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 15th June 2019



male White-speckled Clothes Moth Nemapogon koenigi, North Elmham, 12th June 2020 (I'm not sure the aedeagus is to scale with the rest of the genitalia



Gold-sheen Clothes Moth Nemapogon ruricolella - Attracted to the Yellow-legged Clearwing pheremone lure in my garden on 1st and 23rd June 2019 but none in 2020.  This species seems to have a strong attraction to these pheremones with at least 2 of my previous records being found the same way.  On the second occasion this year I had taken the bung with the pheremone lure on it out of its packet to put in its trap, leaving the empty packet on the dining room table.  I went outside, put the trap up, came back in and found that the moth had come in through the patio doors and crawled inside the empty packet, presumably having sniffed out the traces of chemical left on the packet.

Gold-sheen Clothes Moth Nemapogon ruricolella, North Elmham, 1st June 2019



Barred White Clothes Moth Nemapogon clematella - None in 2019 but one in my garden moth trap on 29th July 2020.  I've recorded 1-2 in 4 of the 6 years I've been trapping at North Elmham but this is another species that I found more often at my old house in Bawdeswell (16 in 5 years without a proper moth trap).


Common Clothes Moth Tineola bisselliella - One of the few Clothes Moths that really deserve to be called Clothes Moths, though it isn't as common as it apparently once was.  Having said that it seems to be having something of a comeback - at least it is in my house!  Since my first here in 2016 I recorded 2 in 2017, 4 in 2018 and 3 in 2019 (23rd April, 21st June and 18th September, all indoors).  Then in 2020 they suddenly reached proper infestation levels, with a monstrous 230 found in the house between 14th March and 22nd December, peaking with 24 on 2nd August.  Relatively few instances of holes found in clothes and I suspect most are eating the edges of the carpets.  Each one found has been destroyed as we don't particularly want all of our soft-furnishings destroyed, but with a few already recorded in 2021 I fear we will be fighting a losing battle!

Common Clothes Moth Tineola bisselliella, North Elmham, 23rd April 2019


male Common Clothes Moth Tineola bisselliella, North Elmham, 5th June 2020 - a darker browner individual than usual leading me to hope it would prove to be something more interesting (sadly not)


Common Clothes Moth Tineola bisselliella, North Elmham, 8th September 2020


Next page: more Tineidae


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