Review of 2019 and 2020 - Moths: Many-plumed Moth (Alucitidae) and Plumes (Pterophoridae) (part 1)

MANY-PLUME MOTHS (ALUCITIDAE)


Many-plume Moth Alucita hexadactyla - 7 at home between 21st March and 29th May and then 6 between 30th June and 23rd July 2019 - an average year here.  In 2020 one on 11th April and 10 between 1st July and 17th August.  Also one at the meadows on 26th July 2019.  Although this is the only British member of its family there are some similar species on the Continent that could conceivably turn up here.

Many-plume Moth Alucita hexadactyla, North Elmham, 21st March 2019

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PLUME MOTHS (PTEROPHORIDAE)


Saltmarsh Plume Agdistis bennetii - None.  This species is prone to occasional influxes to inland locations and 2018 was a good year for such - I had 2 inland records including my first in the garden in 2018.  There were some inland records in 2020 but none here.


Triangle Plume Platyptilia gonodactyla - One in the garden moth trap on 28th August 2020.  This was my second here following one in 2017.

Triangle Plume Platyptilia gonodactyla, North Elmham, 28th August 2020

Yarrow Plume Gillmeria pallidactyla - None.  Although I caught this species 3 times in Bawdeswell I've only ever had one here, in 2018.


Tansy Plume Gillmeria ochrodactyla - None.  I've only recorded this species once, at home in 2018 when (surprisingly in view of the number and spread of records in VC27) it was a new moth for the vice county.


Beautiful Plume Amblyptilia acanthadactyla - Totals of 12 trapped in the garden between 21st March and 2nd September 2019 and 19 between 19th June and 9th November 2020.  In both years, two thirds of them were in August.  The 2019 showing was a little above average for me and 2020 was a record high.

Beautiful Plume Amblyptilia acanthadactyla, North Elmham, 21st March 2019

Beautiful Plume Amblyptilia acanthadactyla, North Elmham, 31st July 2020

Brown Plume Stenoptylia pterodactyla - One caught at home on 26th July 2019 and 4 between 13th and 26th July 2020.  I have recorded this species here every year since moving in but numbers vary from 1-6.  Elsewhere, recorded at the meadows on 4 dates (including earlier/later than above on 4th August 2019 and 23rd June 2020) and at Bintree Wood.

Brown Plume Stenoptilia pterodactyla, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 29th June 2019

Brown Plume Stenoptilia pterodactyla, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 4th August 2019

Brown Plume Stenoptilia pterodactyla, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 13th July 2020

Brown Plume Stenoptilia pterodactyla, North Elmham, 13th July 2020

Twin-spot Plume Stenoptylia bipunctidactyla - None.  With widespread records around the county this and Crescent Plume are perhaps the most glaring omissions from my list of Plumes.


Dowdy Plume Stenoptylia zophodactylus - None.  I've only ever seen this species at the coast where it does seem to be less unusual, but there are inland records so there's a chance of it cropping up round here.


Crescent Plume Marasmarcha lunaedactyla - None.  The majority of records of this species are relatively recent so perhaps this one is increasingly likely to turn up here.  2021 will do fine please...


Breckland Plume Oxyptilus distans - One at the meadows on 13th June 2020 was the first record for this 10km square.  The species has been increasingly recorded away from its Breckland and NW coast strongholds in recent years, so a record local to here was welcome but not entirely unexpected.

Breckland Plume Oxyptilus distans, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 13th June 2020

Wood-sage Plume Capperia britanniodactylus - None.  This widespread but uncommon species hasn't yet turned up in my moth trap; the only one I've seen was at my previous house in Bawdeswell in 2013.


White Plume Pterophorus pentadactyla - 18 in my garden between 23rd June and 25th July, which is farily average, and 15 between 12th June and 17th August 2020.  I find this species often doesn't go right in the trap, found in vegetation around the trap or flying around it when I go out to check it just before dawn.  Also 7 at the meadows (including 2 on the earlier date of 25th May 2020) and one at Weybourne.

White Plume Pterophorus pentadactyla, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 23rd June 2019

White Plume Pterophorus pentadactyla, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 7th July 2019

Thyme Plume Merrifieldia leucodactyla - None.  I've recorded this lovely and scarce species here in North Elmham on one occasion, in 2016.


Dusky Plume Oidaematophorus lithodactyla - One at Whitwell Street on 12th August 2020.  I am yet to record this species here in North Elmham but have previously seen in at my last house in Bawdeswell and at Whitwell Common.

Dusky Plume Oidaematophorus lithodactyla, Whitwell Street, 12th August 2020

Next page: more Pterophoridae plus

And then it all happened...

Mothing at home this year has been fairly uneventful with no new moths for the house until Thursday night.  Recently numbers have picked up but variety has remained low - even new moths for the year have been hard to come by.  Then Thursday night happened.

The clear highlight was a Grey Pine Ermel Ocnerostoma friesei - a tiny grey moth that isn't much to look at but is a great record, and my first.  There are just five previous Norfolk records, all from 2011 and 2014 and all from one observer and one location (Dersingham).

Grey Pine Ermel Ocnerostoma friesei (male, gen det), North Elmham, 30th March

Another good moth was Scarce Alder Slender Caloptilia falconipennella - my second ever (excluding the one I mentioned in my last blog post - I don't count moths if they're brought to me) and first for my garden.

Scarce Alder Slender Caloptilia falconipennella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 30th March

In the same genus and also new for the year and one I've not seen many times before was White-triangle Slender Caloptilia stigmatella.

White-triangle Slender Caloptilia stigmatella, North Elmham, 30th March

Another one I've not often seen and hadn't caught here since 2015 was Pale Pinion.

Pale Pinion, North Elmham, 30th March

I also missed Water Carpet at home last year, although I see plenty of them elsewhere.  Good to get it on the garden year list.

Water Carpet, North Elmham, 30th March

I always enjoy my first Purple Thorn of the year.  The photos taken using flash (first two) showed the warmth of the colours well but I noticed they didn't show the white lunar marks as clearly as they looked in life (especially on the upper hindwing), so I took a couple of photos without using flash too (bottom two).

Purple Thorn, North Elmham, 30th March

Everyone loves a Streamer - another new species for the year.

Streamer, North Elmham, 30th March

More routine new species for the year were Many-plumed Moth Alucita hexadactyla and Double-striped Pug.

Many-plumed Moth Alcuita hexadactyla, North Elmham, 30th March

Double-striped Pug, North Elmham, 30th March

Other moths in the trap were 2 Common Flat-bodies Agonopterix heracliana, 2 Common Plumes Emmelina monodactyla, Brindled Pug, 3 Early Thorns, 4 Small Quakers, 5 Common Quakers, 9 Clouded Drabs, 9 Hebrew Characters and 4 Early Greys.  Also 3 Black Sexton Beetles, what looked like another Ophion scutellaris (Ichneumon) and 3 Green Lacewings (my first here this year) at least one and probably all 3 of which were Chrysoperla carnea.

Friday night was back to more or less normal with a few moths of mainly the same species as normal, although Brindled Beauty was a nice addition to the garden year list.

Brindled Beauty, North Elmham, 31st March

The others were Water Carpet, 2 Early Thorns, Small Quaker, 3 Clouded Drabs, 9 Hebrew Characters and 2 Early Greys. Also a couple of Black Sexton Beetles.

Streamer

2 Hebrew Characters were the only new moths on Sunday night but Monday was a little better with 3 Common Flat-bodies Agonopterix heracliana, March Moth, Shoulder Stripe, Brindled Pug, Clouded Drab, Hebrew Character and 3 Early Greys. In addition Many-plumed Moth Alucita hexadactyla and  Yellow-barred Brindle were both new for the year.

Many-plumed Moth Alucita hexadactyla, North Elmham, 18th April

Yellow-barred Brindle, North Elmham, 18th April

Next day I photographed this Zebra Spider in my study.  I don't normally like spiders but these dinky little ones are oddly cute.

cute little Zebra Spider, North Elmham, 19th April

Sadly I can't say the same about this horrible thing, which I think may be Tegenaria gigantea, though I'm not clear if there are other similar species that need ruling out.  Proper scared of these!

gross scary Spider (possibly Tegenaria gigantea?), North Elmham, 19th April

Only 2 moths on Tuesday night - Clouded Drab and Early Grey.  On Wednesday I had the day off and headed up to Burnham Overy for some birding.  Little non-avian interest - a Peacock butterfly was the only Lepidoptera (oh, and Brown-tail larvae).  This Stoat disappeared down a rabbit burrow emerging from a different hole.

Stoat, Burnham Overy, 20th April

I've caught what I presumed to be the same Red Chestnut on a number of occasions recently, albeit sometimes with 2-3 nights between trappings.  I've assumed it was the same because it seemed to have the same distinctive pattern of wear - like someone had stuck there thumb across the middled of it and rubbed all its scales off from a big patch in the middle.  Caught it again on Wednesday night, or aother similarly worn individual.  Other than that just 2 Hebrew Characters.

On Thursday I found a Buffish Mining Bee Andrena nigroaenea in the garden - the first time I've positively identified this species, thanks to Richard Lewington's new book.

Thursday night was another poor night for moths but I'm always excited to see a Streamer and this was my first of the year.  Otherwise just 2 Hebrew Characters and an Early Grey.

Streamer, North Elmham, 21st April