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 12 April 2021

Review of 2019 and 2020 - Waxflies (Coniopterygidae)

WAXFLIES (CONIOPTERYGIDAE)

The reluctance of some recorders to go to the effort of identifying this family means that there are plenty of possibilities for finding significant records, as exemplified by the fact that 3 of the 5 species I have identified in the last few years have been firsts for Norfolk (and one of the other 2 was only the second for Norfolk).  For most genera of waxflies identification to species level requires examination of the male's genitalia, but they seem to be relatively straightforward provided you don't mind going to those lengths.


Coniopteryx borealis - None.  I've never found this species but although there were only 2 county records by 2016 it was described as "probably common".  Indeed the key to these describes it as, "Widespread and very common throughout England, Wales and Scotland; perhaps our commonest species."  Perhaps, but either it isn't round here or it has more elusive habits than the other species.


Coniopteryx esbenpeterseni - A male netted at the meadows on 29th May 2019, a male hand-caught at dawn in my garden on 23rd June 2019 and a male caught in my garden moth trap on 24th August 2020.  I'm not aware of any other Norfolk records apart from the first which I found in my garden in June 2017.

male Coniopteryx esbenpeterseni, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 29th May 2019


male Coniopteryx esbenpeterseni, North Elmham, 23rd June 2019



male Coniopteryx esbenpeterseni, North Elmham, 24th August 2020 (showing the internal genital structures)



Coniopteryx lentiae - A male caught in my garden moth trap on 26th June 2019 was the first record for Norfolk.  I caught 4 more in 2020, 2 in my garden (one netted at dawn on 23rd June and one to the moth trap on 13th August) and 2 at the meadows (on 8th June and 6th July, both netted).  Although waxflies are very under-recorded I imagine this represents a recent colonisation of the county rather than that they've simply been overlooked up until now.

male Coniopteryx lentiae, North Elmham, 26th June 2019


comparison of male genitalia of Coniopteryx esbenpeterseni (left) and Coniopteryx lentiae (right), caught North Elmham, 23rd and 26th June 2019



male Coniopteryx lentiae, North Elmham, 22nd June 2020 (showing poorly-cleaned genital structure)


male Coniopteryx lentiae, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 6th July 2020



Coniopteryx tineiformis - One netted in my garden on 25th May 2020, my third here (the first in 2016 was the second record for Norfolk).  I suspect this species is more reluctant to come to light and perhaps even less nocturnal than some of the other waxflies as I've now caught lots at the meadows, most or all of which have been flying alongisde hedgerows in daylight (mostly early morning).  Single males caught at the Cathedral Meadows on 10th, 22nd and 25th May 2019 and 6 netted there on 5 dates between 27th April and 9th May 2020.  I also hand-caught one on Mull, at Carsaig on 10th June 2019.

male Coniopteryx tineiformis, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 10th May 2019


male Coniopteryx tineiformis, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 27th April 2020


male Coniopteryx tineiformis, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd May 2020



In addition 3 female Coniopteryx sp. were found, 2 at the meadows and one in my garden.



Conwentzia psociformis - This is the best-recorded species of waxfly in Norfolk.  The 2019 waxfly year started off with 2 males of this species hand-caught in front and back gardens fairly early in the morning of 21st April, and 2 more netted at the Cathedral Meadows the same morning.  Thereaftter 9 males caught in my garden (all in my moth trap), the last being on 10th August.  This compares with 6 males at home in 2018.  In addition I trapped 4 female Conwentzia sp. (I counted the antennal segments on 2 of these and if the proposed differences prove to be reliable then these will also be recordable as female psociformis).  In 2020 I recorded a total of 15 males at home between 27th April and 12th September (all in the moth trap) plus 2 at the meadows (not to light).  Also 6 female Conwentzia sp. found here during that time and one at the meadows, the latter being potted from Ash (making it a very unlikely candidate for the pine-feeding Conwentzia pineticola which I've never found).

male Conwentzia psociformis, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 21st April 2019


male Conwentzia psociformis, North Elmham, 27th April 2020


male Conwentzia psociformis, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 18th June 2020



male Conwentzia psociformis, North Elmham, 4th September 2020 - I find the parameres sometimes diverge more than this which can prompt confusion with Conwentzia pineticola, but the processes of the ectoprocts (not quite in focus here) are only slighly bifurcate and therefore readily distinguished from pineticola



Semidalis aleyrodiformis - None.  I've never found this species but there were 3 county records prior to 2013 and given the ordinary nature of the sites where it was found it was suggested that it is probably common in the county.


Semidalis pseudouncinata - A male caught in the garden moth trap on 15th August 2020, my first here since I found the first for Norfolk in 2017, and then 2 more males the following night.  I'm not aware of any other Norfolk records.



male Semidalis pseudouncinata, North Elmham, 15th August 2020 - showing wing venation and genital structure




male Semidalis pseudouncinata, North Elmham, 16th August 2020 - showing genital structure



second male Semidalis pseudouncinata, North Elmham, 16th August 2020 - showing genital structure


Next page: Brown Lacewings

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