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

Harvest Mouse in the garden!

After the excitement in the Brecks on Saturday I managed 18 moths of 8 species at home, easily the best night this year so far.  Among them were 4 new for the year here including a Lead-coloured Drab (and a Clouded Drab for comparison), Beautiful Plume Amblyptilia acanthadactyla and Early Grey.

The Lead-coloured Drab looked quite reddish-brown at some angles and as such I nearly overlooked it as a Clouded Drab. The rounded wing apex should have given it away but it was only when I noticed its very feathered antennae that the penny dropped.

Lead-coloured Drab, North Elmham, 11th March

Clouded Drab, North Elmham, 11th March

Lead-coloured Drab (left) and Clouded Drab (right), North Elmham, 11th March

Beautiful Plume Amblyptilia acanthadactyla, North Elmham, 11th March

Early Grey, North Elmham, 11th March

The other moths were 2 Common Flat-bodies Agonopterix heracliana, 4 Dotted Borders, 6 Hebrew Characters and 2 Chestnuts.

Also that night was a Pea-leaf Weevil Sitona lineatus, my first at home.

Pea-leaf Weevil Sitona lineatus, North Elmham, 11th March

On Sunday afternoon I was looking out of the kitchen window when a movement caught my eye.  It was a mouse, but not just any old mouse, it was a lovely yellowish-buff colour and it was tiny!  Fortunately my camera wasn't far away and I hastily ran off some shots before it scuppered.  The colour prompted thoughts of Harvest Mouse, a species which I never expected to bump into in my garden, but I wasn't sure if the tail was long enough.  The only mouse I've seen here before was Wood Mouse and it clearly wasn't like previous examples of that, being smaller, a different colour, and having nice clearly demarcated border between the yellowish fur on the upperside and the clean white fur beneath.  Some features fitted Yellow-necked Mouse but that's supposed to be even bigger than Wood Mouse and as far as I can tell it's too early in the year for a young one.  Harvest Mouse is supposed to have smaller ears than Wood and Yellow-necked Mice and at first I wondered if they were small enough, but after looking at some photos of all three species (and House Mouse) I decided it had to be Harvest Mouse, my first ever in the wild.  I hadn't been expecting a mammalian lifer in my garden - what a fabulous surprise!

Harvest Mouse, North Elmham, 12th March

In the evening I decided to give Beetley Common by headtorch a go.  It was disappointing for moths with just 2 Water Carpets and a Rusty Oak Button Acleris ferrugana, but it wasn't a complete waste of time.

Rusty Oak Button Acleris ferrugana (male, gen det), Beetley Common, 12th March

Water Carpet, Beetley Common, 12th March

I checked one woodlouse that I thought might be different (from the usual Common Rough Woodlice) and indeed this time it was, Common Striped Woodlouse Philoscia muscorum.

Common Striped Woodlouse Philoscia muscorum, Beetley Common, 12th March

The only two beetles I found by searching tree trunks both proved to be Olibrus corticalis, a new species for me.  I picked one of them up with some moss and an even tinier beetle fell out of the moss.  At first I didn't think I was going to get an ID as I struggled to key it out to family even but eventually I sorted it - it was another new one for me, Cortinicara gibbosa.

Olibrus corticalis, Beetley Common, 12th March

Cortinicara gibbosa, Beetley Common, 12th March

Also my first Lacewing of the year, presumably Chrysoperla carnea but as it was female I can't elminate the highly unlikely pallida.

The trap at home produced 14 moths of 7 species, so not quite as good as Saturday night.  Among them was my first Maple Slender Caloptilia semifascia of the year.

Maple Slender Caloptilia semifascia, North Elmham, 12th March

The others were Common Flat-body Agonopterix heracliana, March Moth, Shoulder Stripe, 4 Dotted Borders, 5 Hebrew Characters and Chestnut.

Monday's trap produced 3 Common Flat-bodies Agonopterix heracliana, March Moth, Shoulder Stripe, Oak Beauty, 4 Dotted Borders, Clouded Drab and 4 Hebrew Characters.

My first Peacock butterfly of the year was at Burnham Overy yesterday morning.

Last night there wasn't so much (or else it flew off or got eaten by the birds before I got to it - I was a little after first light this morning) - March Moth, 2 Shoulder Stripes, 2 Dotted Borders and 5 Hebrew Characters.

Another Small Mottled Willow

Well it's all a bit mundane for this year when so many recorders have been getting scores of Small Mottled Willows, but here such migrants are few and far between and I was chuffed to get my second Small Mottled Willow on the night of 17th August.  Especially so as unlike the first one this was a much fresher individual with a properly orange spot.

Small Mottled Willow, North Elmham, 17th August

Two species were new for the year: Currant Pug and a very tatty Mouse Moth.

Mouse Moth, North Elmham, 17th August

Currant Pug, North Elmham, 17th August

Others were 3 Bird-cherry Ermines Yponomeuta evonymella, Woundwort Case-bearer Coleophora lineolea, Long-horned Flat-body Carcina quercana, Orange Crest Helcystogramma rufescens, Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix Pandemis heparana, 2 Garden Rose Tortrices Acleris variegana, 2 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Two-coloured Bell Eucosma obumbratana, Marbled Piercer Cydia splendana, 6 Pearl Veneers Agriphila straminella, 25 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, 3 Elbow-stripe Grass-veneers Agriphila geniculea, Ringed China-mark Parapoynx stratiotata, 2 Garden Pebbles Evergestis forficalis, 9 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, 2 Ash-bark Knot-horns Euzophera pinguis, Beautiful Plume Amblyptilia acanthadactyla, Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla, Orange Swift, Pebble Hook-tip, Large Emerald, Blood-vein, Small Fan-footed Wave, 4 Single-dotted Waves, 5 Riband Waves, Red Twin-spot Carpet, Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet, 2 Common Carpets, Small Rivulet, Maple Pug, Tawny Speckled Pug, 2 Magpie Moths, Scalloped Oak, Willow Beauty, 2 Coxcomb Prominents, 2 Pale Prominents, Yellow-tail, 2 Dingy Footmen, 2 Shuttle-shaped Darts, Flame Shoulder, 3 Large Yellow Underwings, Lesser Yellow Underwing, 7 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwings, 8 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, Square-spotted Clay, 4 Six-striped Rustics, Lychnis, Antler Moth, Common Wainscot, 2 Dun-bars, 2 Dark Arches, Common Rustic, Lesser Common Rustic, 4 Flounced Rustics and Straw Dot.

Beautiful Plume Amblyptilia acanthadactyla, North Elmham, 17th August