Review of 2019 and 2020 - Moths: Flat-bodies (Depressariidae) (part 1: Semioscopis, Luquetia and Agonopterix)

FLAT-BODIES (DEPRESSARIIDAE)


Dawn Flat-body Semioscopis steinkellneriana - 2 at the meadows and one in the garden trap, all on 22nd April 2019.  None in 2020.  I've only recorded this species at home once before, on 21st April 2018.

Dawn Flat-body Semioscopis steinkellneriana, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 22nd April 2019

Dawn Flat-body Semioscopis steinkellneriana, North Elmham, 22nd April 2019

Sloe Flat-body Luquetia lobella - 3 in the garden between 1st and 18th June 2019 but only one in 2020, on 15th June.  I do quite well for this species here with between 2 and 6 each year I've lived here up until the singleton in 2020.  2019 was the first time I recorded one anywhere else, though only just up the road at the meadows (on 23rd June).

Sloe Flat-body Luquetia lobella, North Elmham, 1st June 2019

Sloe Flat-body Luquetia lobella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 23rd June 2019

Red-letter Flat-body Agonopterix ocellama - None.  I've recorded this species here twice (2016 and 2018).


Small Purple Flat-body Agonopterix purpurea - One in my garden trap on 11th April 2020 was my third following records here in 2016 and 2018.  Then a day-flying one netted at the meadows on 2nd May and another netted (after dark) at Frost's Common on 21st May.

Small Purple Flat-body Agonopterix purpurea, North Elmham, 11th April 2020

Small Purple Flat-body Agonopterix purpurea, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 2nd May 2020

Sallow Flat-body Agonopterix conterminella - None.  I've never seen this species and probably wouldn't have included it here as a species likely to occur here in future except that there were 2 records in central Norfolk in 2020 (Dave N in Dereham and Keith in Litcham).


Broom Flat-body Agonopterix scopariella - None.  I'm quite keen to see this species having had it on my list for a short while before realising I'd made a slightly embarrassing error.  There was quite a bit of Broom by the railway at the bottom of the meadows so I was quite hopeful, but chances have been reduced since the Mid-Norfolk Railway have decimated the Broom.


Ruddy Flat-body Agonopterix subpropinquella - Singles in the garden trap on 17th April and 28th August 2019.  None in 2020, my first blank full year since moving here (1-3 records each other year).

male Ruddy Flat-body Agonopterix subpropinquella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 17th April

Black-spot Flat-body Agonopterix propinquella - None.  I'm yet to see this here in North Elmham (my only record was from Bawdeswell in 2012).


Brindled Flat-body Agonopterix arenella - 10 in the garden trap between 9th April and 16th June 2019 and another 3 between 22nd August and 12th September.  Slightly more in 2020 with a less obvious distinction between flight periods - 15 between 22nd April and 6th September.  Both fairly average showings.  Also 3 at the Cathedral Meadows on 22nd April and 15th September (2) 2019 and one at Whitwell Street in September 2020.

Brindled Flat-body Agonopterix arenella, North Elmham, 9th April 2019

Common Flat-body Agonopterix heracliana - 26 here between 25th January and 26th March 2019 then one on 25th May and 7 between 7th July and 14th August.  A total of 34 made it my worst year here, though 2 previous years scored 35 so not far behind, but 2020 was worse with only 15 - 11 between 16th February and 22nd April and 4 between 13th July and 8th August.  I suspect this is the bottom of cyclical fluctuation rather than a long-term decline, but if I had to pick a moth to go extinct then this would be pretty high up on my list of candidates...  Elsewhere a total of 43 at the meadows (mainly by torchlight and mostly in 2019) and 1 at Swanton Great Wood.

female Common Flat-body Agonopterix heracliana  North Elmham, 21st March 2019

female Common Flat-body Agonopterix heracliana  North Elmham, 26th March 2019

male Common Flat-body Agonopterix heracliana  North Elmham, 3rd August 2019

Large Carrot Flat-body Agonopterix ciliella - None.  I suspect this species has been massively over-recorded in the past and have checked every heracliana carefully for several years, dissecting the majority.  Having never found ciliella, even among the larger darker examples with pinkish underparts I have to conclude that this species isn't very common!  Now that it is deemed Grade 4 (dissection required to confirm the record) hopefully we will get a clearer picture of exactly how common or scarce it is.  I may have just been unlucky of course...


Dusted Flat-body Agonopterix assimillella - None.  I have only recorded this species once here (or anywhere), in 2017.


Straw Flat-body Agonopterix kaekeritziana - None.  I have recorded this species once here, in 2016.


Gorse Flat-body Agonopterix umbellana - None.  This is maybe the next most likely Agonopterix to be added to my local area list if not my garden list.


Dark-fringed Flat-body Agonopterix nervosa - 2 at the meadows on 22nd August 2019.  Neither were particularly obvious, being quite worn and lacking the dark fringe, so I resorted to gen detting to confirm them.  Also one at Row Heath (West Runton) on 31st August 2019.  None in 2020.  I'd only seen one of these before, in my garden in 2017.

male Dark-fringed Flat-body Agonopterix nervosa, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 22nd August 2019

female Dark-fringed Flat-body Agonopterix nervosa, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 22nd August 2019

Brown-spot Flat-body Agonopterix alstromeriana - One here on 9th April 2019 and then 5 between 27th July and 18th September 2020.  These doubled the number I've seen here since moving in in 2014 (2 in each of 2015 and 2016, singles only in 2017 and 2018).  One of the most attractive Agonopterix in my opinion, not that it has very strong competition.

Brown-spot Flat-body Agonopterix alstromeriana, North Elmham, 9th April 2019

Brown-spot Flat-body Agonopterix alstromeriana, North Elmham, 18th September 2020

Angelica Flat-body Agonopterix angelicella - None.  Another one that I have a reasonable chance of recording locally (there is Angelica growing locally, including sometimes just below the meadows), but haven't done so yet.


Coastal Flat-body Agonopterix yeatiana - None.  Again, one that could turn up locally (despite its common name there are plenty of inland records too and there is Wild Carrot growing along the railway at the bottom of the meadows).  I'm yet to see it in Norfolk though...


Next page: more Depressariidae plus

2 new moths, a very decent Lacewing and more

The night of 2nd August was brilliant.  89 species of moth wasn't a legendary total but there were some great quality moths and other insects among them.  Pick of the moths was a rare, nationally scarce A moth that I had never seen before.

Cocksfoot Moth Glyphipterix simpliciella is an exceedingly common species which can quite easily be found in their hundreds feeding in Ox-eye Daisies and other wildflowers during the day-time.  I see them around North Elmham in abundance, but in four years of nightly light-trapping I have never caught a single individual in my garden.  So when I found what looked very much like one in my moth trap, two thoughts went through my mind.  First, this is a new moth for the garden, and second, given that simpliciella doesn't normally come to my trap, might this be one of the rarer congeners that I've never seen before, anywhere?

At first I thought it was perhaps a little larger than simpliciella that I'm used to seeing, which put me in mind of haworthana - but in fact it wasn't nearly big enough for that (I measured it just to be sure).  Easily observable external features ruled out all but two species - the very common simpliciella and the much rarer schoenicolella.  The literature cites three differences in the external appearance of these two species - the colour of the cilia (hairs) on the edge of the hindwing, which are very hard to see on an insect that tends to keep its hindwings covered up, the relative spacing of the bars along the costa (the leading edge of the wings) and the eveness in colour of the forewing and extent of copper near the apex.  Having looked at scores of pictures of both species on the internet I am not convinced of the reliability of any of these features except the colour of the cilia.  The few glimpses I got of its hindwings looked encouraging - very encouraging in fact.  I was pretty sure I could see brilliant white cilia there, near the base of the wings, but I couldn't get a clear enough view to be sure while the insect was still alive.  When I could eventually examine it without it moving I was delighted to see glistening white cilia at the proximal end of the dorsal edge of both hindwings, strongly contrasting with the greyer cilia in the outer half or two-thirds.  It had to be Bog-rush Fanner Glyphipterix schoenicolella.  That's an unexpected find here as it feeds on Black Bog-rush, a species that does not appear round according to the maps in A Flora of Norfolk.  It's not all that far away though, and with a widespread scattering of records across the county (including Dereham and Reepham areas) I imagine it is possible that it grows closer to here than the maps show.

Bog-rush Fanner Glyphipterix schoenicolella, North Elmham, 2nd August

I checked the genitalia too, just to make doubly sure, although looking at the images of female genitalia of both species online it wasn't very clear what the differences are.  One website suggests a possible difference but I couldn't really see this on the images, and indeed the relavant bit of the genitalia seems to be hard to keep intact when preparing specimens as it is completely missing from most photos (although I did see it on mine during prepraration I had lost it by the time I finished).  However, I think I can see two or three other differences between the two species:

1. On both species the papillae anales, the very tip of the abdomen, have a tiny discrete projection at their very tip.  On simpiciella this seems to be bigger, starting as a continuation of the more proximal section and narrowing gradually to form a point, whereas on schoenicolella this seems to start narrower than the adjacent more proximal section, so stepped at least on the outer side and is therefore tinier and sharper.
2. Between the two papillae anales just below their broadest sections the membrane is covered in longitudinally wrinkled light sclerotisation.  This seems to be thicker and more sclerotised on schoenicolella, though I'm not sure how much this could depend on how the genitalia are prepared.
3. On both species the sclerotisation on the 8th segment is extended centrally into a triangular pointed projection pointing distally.  On schoenicolella this projection seems to be shorter, just a little longer than an equilateral triangle and with straight sides coming to a point, whereas on simpiciella it is more horn-shaped, a longer clearly isosceles triangle with convex sides and a rounded or at least blunt tip.  

These suggested differences are based on just a very small number of images so I cannot say that any of them are diagnostic, or with any great confidence that they should even be remotely useful.  However if they do prove to be valid differences then my moth clearly meets all three criteria for schoenicolella.

female genitalia of Bog-rush Fanner Glyphipterix schoenicolella, North Elmham, 2nd August

The second new moth for me was a slightly commoner species, Elm Midget Phyllonorycter tristrigella.  There are a number of similar species but on this one the third dorsal fascia is distinctively angled back in a sort of chevron shape.  I was therefore fairly confident about this ID before chopping it, but as its genitalia are also quite distinctive I checked it under the microscope too.

Elm Midget Phyllonorycter tristrigella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 2nd August

There were a number of other new moths for the year too: Oak Bent-wing Bucculatrix ulmella, Brown Rowan Argent Argyresthia semifusca, 2 Heather Tortrixes Argyrotaenia ljungiana, Orange Swift, Sallow Kitten and Six-striped Rustic.

Oak Bent-wing Bucculatrix ulmella, North Elmham, 2nd August

Brown Rowan Argent Argyresthia semifusca, North Elmham, 2nd August

Heather Tortrix Argyrotaenia ljungiana, North Elmham, 2nd August

Orange Swift, North Elmham, 2nd August

Sallow Kitten, North Elmham, 2nd August

Six-striped Rustic, North Elmham, 2nd August

A few other species were noteworthy too:  White-speckled Clothes Moth Nemapogon koenigi, Pointed Slender Parornix finitimella, Ruddy Flat-body Agonopterix subpropinquella, Mouse-ear Groundling Caryocolum fraternella, Dark Umber and Twin-spotted Wainscot.

White-speckled Clothes Moth Nemapogon koenigi, North Elmham, 2nd August

Ruddy Flat-body Agonopterix subpropinquella, North Elmham, 2nd August

Mouse-ear Groundling Caryocolum fraternella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 2nd August

The other moths were Bordered Carl Coptotriche marginea, 3 Bird’s-nest Moths Tinea trinotella, Blackthorn Slender Parornix torquillella, Horse-Chestnut Leaf-miner Cameraria ohridella, Bird-cherry Ermine Yponomeuta evonymella, 4 Diamond-backs Plutella xylostella, Clover Case-bearer Coleophora alcyonipennella, Woundwort Case-bearer Coleophora lineolea, 2 Golden-brown Tubics Crassa unitella, Long-horned Flat-body Carcina quercana, Brindled Flat-body Agonopterix arenella, Dark Neb Bryotropha affinis, 2 Cinerous Nebs Bryotropha terrella, 2 House Nebs Bryotropha domestica, an Oegoconia sp. that escaped, 4 Dingy Dowds Blastobasis adustella, 2 Light Brown Apple-moths Epiphyas postvittana, Maple Button Acleris forsskaleana, 2 Garden Rose Tortrixes Acleris variegana, Barred Marble Celypha striana, 3 Rush Marbles Bactra lancealana, Holly Tortrix Rhopobota naevana, Bright Bell Eucosma hohenwartiana, Hoary Bell Eucosma cana, 3 Marbled Piercers Cydia splendana, Codling Moth Cydia pomonella, Pale-streak Grass-veneer Agriphila selasella, 38 Straw Grass-veneers Agriphila straminella, 24 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, Chequered Grass-veneer Catoptria falsella, 15 Water Veneers Acentria ephemerella, Ringed China-mark Parapoynx stratiotata, 4 Garden Pebbles Evergestis forficalis, Pale Straw Pearl Udea lutealis, 18 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, 4 Grey Knot-horns Acrobasis advenella, Dotted Oak Knot-horn Phycita roborella, 2 Common Plumes Emmelina monodactyla, Maiden's Blush, Blood-vein, Small Fan-footed Wave, 4 Single-dotted Waves, 2 Riband Waves, 7 Red Twin-spot Carpets, 2 Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpets, 6 Common Carpets, Small Rivulet, 2 Maple Pugs, 2 Lime-speck Pugs, 2 Wormwood Pugs, Grey Pug, Magpie Moth, 2 Bordered Beauties, 2 Early Thorns, Iron Prominent, Yellow-tail, 6 Dingy Footmen, Common Footman, Buff Ermine, Ruby Tiger, 3 Turnip Moths, 2 Shuttle-shaped Darts, 8 Flame Shoulders, Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, 13 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, Square-spotted Clay, 2 Common Wainscots, Copper Underwing, 2 Straw Underwings, Angle Shades, 2 Dun-bars, Dark Arches, Common Rustic, Small Rufous and 9 Straw Dots.

Although the new moths were very exciting, neither of them were fully identified on the morning that I found them.  Well neither was this lacewing, but I was pretty sure it would prove to be something I had never seen before.  And so it turned out - it was Hemerobius nitidulus, a pine-feeding species that had been recorded in Norfolk 5 times up to 1988 and not since, at least until the last summary publication of records that was published in 2016. 

Hemerobius nitidulus, North Elmham, 2nd August

Other brown lacewings were Hemerobius lutescens and 4 Micromus variegatus. Green lacewings consisted of Chrysopa commata (new for the year) and Dichochrysa flavifrons. The only mayflies were 5 Green Drakes Ephemera danica, and once again all five were dead in the bottom of the trap.   Caddisflies were Hydropsyche pellucidula and 2 Hydropsyche siltalai.

Chrysopa commata, North Elmham, 2nd August

No new bugs for a change (lots recently) but a variety of species: Birch Shieldbug, Blepharidopterus angulatus, Lygus pratensis, Psallus haematodes and the leafhopper Empoasca vitis.

There was one more lifer waiting for me: a Lesser Mealworm Beetle Alphitobius diaperinus.  Also among the beetles the water-beetle Rhantus suturalis was new for the year and there were 5 Bradycellus verbasci along with single Hydrobius fuscipes and Aphodius rufipes.

Lesser Mealworm Beetle Alphitobius diaperinus, North Elmham, 2nd August

Rhatnus suturalis, North Elmham, 2nd August

The following evening I had a wander round the Cathedral Meadows with a torch and found a selection of moths: Hawthorn Slender Parornix anglicella, Common Mompha Mompha epilobiella, Common Marble Celypha lacunana, Rush Marble Bactra lancealana, 2 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, Pale Straw Pearl Udea lutealis, 14 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, Orange Swift, Blood-vein, Single-dotted Wave, Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet, Yellow Shell, Coxcomb Prominent, Flame Shoulder, Square-spotted Clay, 4 Silver Ys and Straw Dot.  There were also 3 Common Earwigs, the green lacewing Dichochrysa flavifrons and 2 Common Toads.

Orange Swift, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd August

A new beetle, ichneumon and sawfly but little moth excitement

I haven't done any updates for a few days, largely because there hasn't been much to say - until last night.  More of that later, but here's a catch-up first of what's turned up in the trap since last Monday.  The highlights were 2 Ruddy Flat-bodies Agonopterix subpropinquella (23rd and 26th), my third and fourth ever and new for the year and a Lead-coloured Drab (27th).

Ruddy Flat-body Agonopterix subpropinquella, North Elmham, 23rd March

Ruddy Flat-body Agonopterix subpropinquella, North Elmham, 26th March

Lead-coloured Drab, North Elmham, 27th March

Here are the details of what I trapped each night:

• Last Monday 20th - 2 Common Quaker, 5 Hebrew Characters and a Chestnut.

• Tuesday 21st - March Moth, 2 Dotted Borders, 2 Common Quakers, 4 Hebrew Characters and 2 Early Greys.

• Wednesday 22nd - 2 Early Thorns, Oak Beauty, 3 Clouded Drabs, Twin-spotted Quaker, 6 Hebrew Characters and Early Grey.

• Thursday 23rd - Ruddy Flat-body Agonopterix subpropinquella, Common Quaker, 10 Hebrew Characters and Early Grey.  Also a Varied Carpet Beetle in the house.

• Friday 24th - Oak Beauty, Dotted Border, Small Quaker, Common Quaker, 4 Clouded Drabs, 2 Hebrew Characters and Early Grey.  Also a Badger along the B1145 not far from Worthing.

• Saturday 25th - 6 March Moths, Brindled Pug (new for the year here), 5 Small Quakers, Common Quaker, Clouded Drab and 11 Hebrew Characters.  Also 8 Brimstone butteflies seen at 7 sites during the day and, at Alderford Common, I identified the sawfly Ametastegia glabrata for the first time and had flight-only views of my first Bee Fly of the year (presumably Dark-edged Bee Fly but I didn't confirm).

Agonopterix subpropinquella, Alderford Common, 25th March

• Sunday 26th - Ruddy Flat-body Agonopterix subpropinquella, March Moth, Oak Beauty, 7 Small Quakers, 4 Common Quakers, Clouded Drab, 10 Hebrew Characters and 4 Early Greys.  Also a Red Fox on the local patch.

• Monday 27th - Early Thorn, Oak Beauty, Small Quaker, Lead-coloured Drab, 3 Common Quakers, 4 Clouded Drabs, Twin-spotted Quaker and 8 Hebrew Characters.

• Tuesday 28th - Common Flat-body Agonopterix heracliana, Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla, 2 Early Thorns, Oak Beauty, 2 Small Quakers, 2 Common Quakers, 2 Clouded Drabs, Twin-spotted Quaker, 2 Hebrew Characters and Early Grey. Also the ichneumid wasp Ophion scutellaris, the first time I have identified this species.

Ophion scutellaris, North Elmham, 28th March

• Wednesday 29th - 3 Common Flat-bodies Agonopterix heracliana, Dotted Border, 2 Small Quakers, 5 Common Quakers, 2 Clouded Drabs, 2 Twin-spotted Quakers, 3 Hebrew Characters and 3 Early Greys.  Also Common Earwig new for the year as were 3 Black Sexton Beetles.

Black Sexton Beetle, North Elmham, 29th March

Yesterday at Burnham Overy I saw my first Buff-tailed Bumblebee of the year.

 Buff-tailed Bumblebee, Burnham Overy, 30th March

In the evening I didn't have time to go far and set up moth-trapping properly (except in the garden of course) which is a shame as it was a good night.  I did have just enough time to wander round a couple of local sites with Dave looking for moths in torchlight.  It was pretty unsuccessful really - Shoulder Stripe at Creaking Gate Lake and March Tubic Diurnea fagella at Honeypot Wood, plus a few moths that we failed to catch and identify.  Lacewings were in evidence, all those that were identified being Chrysoperla carnea.

Chrysoperla carnea (male), Honeypot Wood, 30th March

The one thing that made the effort worthwhile was a new beetle species for me, Dromius quadrimaculatus.

Dromius quadrimaculatus, Bittering, 30th March

After that inauspicious start to the evening I was very pleased with the contents of my moth trap this morning... but I'll save that for another post.

Dave brought me a couple of moths that Andrew Duff had collected from Woodbastwick on 27th March.  One which he thought I'd be particularly interested in was an Agonopterix sp.  Its pattern resembled Agonopterix heracliana but could also be ciliella but the overall colour was extraordinary - strong pinkish tones especially along the sides of the forewings.  Agonopterix heracliana can show a few pink scales but I have never seen anything remotely close to this before. Anyway, I did the business and it proved to be a female Common Flat-body Agonopterix heracliana.  So not an unusual species but definitely an unusual appearance.

Common Flat-body Agonopterix heracliana (female, gen det), collected Woodbastwick by Andrew Duff, 27th March

Scarce Alder Slender Caloptilia falconipennella (female, gen det), collected Woodbastwick by Andrew Duff, 27th March