Review of 2019 and 2020 - Moths: Gelechiids (Gelechiidae) (Part 1: Sobers - subfamily Anacampsinae)

GELECHIIDS (GELECHIIDAE)


Subfamily ANACAMPSINAE


White-strap Sober Aproaerema larseniella - One at the Cathedral Meadows on 23rd June 2020 was a lovely surprise.  I've only seen a couple before and never anywhere near here.

male White-strap Sober Aproaerema larseniella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 23rd June 2020

Vetch Sober Aproaerema anthyllidella - 5 in the garden trap between 26th July and 10th September 2019 and 4 between 7th and 28th August 2020.  I had 5 here in 2018 too but ony 1-2 in 2015/16 and none in 2017.  Also one at Swanton Great Wood on 27th August 2019.

Vetch Sober Aproaerema anthyllidella, North Elmham, 28th August 2019

male Vetch Sober Aproaerema anthyllidella, North Elmham, 7th August 2020

male Vetch Sober Aproaerema anthyllidella, North Elmham, 29th August 2020

Poplar Sober Anacampsis populella - One in my garden trap on 4th August 2019 was a new moth for the garden.  Also 2 at Swanton Great Wood on 27th August 2019.  None in 2020.

female Poplar Sober Anacampsis populella, North Elmham, 4th August 2019

female Poplar Sobers Anacampsis populella, Swanton Great Wood, 27th August 2019

Birch Sober Anacampsis blattariella - None in 2019 but added to my garden list when I caught one on 4th August 2020.  Apparently this used to be much the rarer of the 2 Anacampsis species but recently it seems to have become much commoner.

male Birch Sober Anacampsis blattariella, North Elmham, 4th August 2020

Heather Sober Neofaculta ericetella - Another new moth for the garden when one turned up in my trap on 1st June 2019.  This seems to be quite a common species on heaths including fairly near here but nice to get one in the garden too.  None in 2020.

male Heather Sober Neofaculta ericetella, North Elmham, 1st June 2019

Square-spot Sober Hypatima rhomboidella - Again, a new moth for the garden in 2019, with singles on 25th July and 5th August and another on 2nd August 2020.  Also 2 at Swanton Great Wood on 27th August 2019.  A great showing for a moth I'd only ever seen twice before.  There's something very lovely about these moths - their smooth velvety grey colour and distinctive costal triangles combined with an elegant shape and resting posture.  The English and scientific names are curious as I'd have described the costal spots as more triangular, or maybe trapezoid rather than square or rhomboid...

Square-spot Sober Hypatima rhomboidella, North Elmham, 25th July 2019

Square-spot Sober Hypatima rhomboidella, North Elmham, 2nd August 2020

Acer Sober Anarsia innoxiella - Singles in the garden trap on 10th July 2019 and 26th July 2020, my second and third following one in 2017 (which followed the first for Norfolk by 3 days).  After the first 3 Norfolk records in 2017 and 2 in 2018 there were 18 widespread records in 2019 and 25 in 2020 - the species is now part of our fauna and we can expect to see more in the coming years.

Acer Sober Anarsia innoxiella, North Elmham, 10th July 2019

Acer Sober Anarsia innoxiella, North Elmham, 26th July 2020

Small Sober Anarsia spartiella - One in the garden trap on 19th July 2019 was my second record for the garden (one in 2017) but probably 2 more in 2020, on 1st and 23rd July (the latter escaped before I got a good look at it).  These may look boring and grey in my photos but in real life there is something quite sexy about these.

Small Sober Anarsia spartiella, North Elmham, 19th July 2019

Small Sober Anarsia spartiella, North Elmham, 1st July 2020

Next page: more Gelechiidae

Mompha raschkiella and Anarsia spartiella new for the garden

A rather fine Little Cosmet Mompha raschkiella was the highlight on Wednesday 5th July.  It was new for the garden and in fact only my second anywhere, and the first was such a worn specimen that I had to dissect it to work out what it was.  I'd not seen one in all its glory before and they're a lovely little moth even if my photos don't do it justice.

Little Cosmet Mompha raschkiella, North Elmham, 5th July

Other moths that were new for the year here were Speckled Case-bearer Coleophora sternipennella, 2 Orange Crests Helcystogramma rufescens and Maple Button Acleris forsskaleana.

Speckled Case-bearer Coleophora sternipennella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 5th July

Orange Crest Helcystogramma rufescens, North Elmham, 5th July

Maple Button Acleris forsskaleana, North Elmham, 5th July

The rest were 3 Bird-cherry Ermines Yponomeuta evonymella, Little Ermel Swammerdamia pyrella, Clover Case-bearer Coleophora alcyonipennella, Brown House Moth Hofmannophila pseudospretella, Common Flat-body Agonopterix heracliana, London Dowd Blastobasis lacticolella, Hawthorn Cosmet Blastodacna hellerella, Cyclamen Tortrix Clepsis spectrana, Privet Tortrix Clepsis consimilana, Grey Tortrix Cnephasia stephensiana, Barred Marble Celypha striana, 2 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Holly Tortrix Rhopobota naevana, 2 Hoary Bells Eucosma cana, 19 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, 2 Grass-veneers Crambus pascuella, 2 Yellow Satin Veneers Crambus perlella, 2 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis, 2 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, 3 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, 2 Rosy Tabbies Endotricha flammealis, Chinese Character, Buff Arches, 2 Blood-veins, 4 Small Fan-footed Waves, 2 Dwarf Cream Waves, 3 Single-dotted Waves, 5 Riband Waves, 3 Double-striped Pugs, Small Yellow Wave, Clouded Border, Early Thorn, Privet Hawk-moth, Yellow-tail, Round-winged Muslin, 5 Rosy Footmen, 11 Dingy Footmen, 20 Common Footmen, Buff Ermine, Heart and Dart, Large Yellow Underwing, 3 Double Square-spots, Bright-line Brown-eye, Brown-line Bright Eye, 5 Smoky Wainscots, Common Wainscot, Dark Arches, 2 Common Rustics, 27 Uncertains, 2 Rustics, Nut-tree Tussock, 2 Beautiful Hook-tips and 2 Fan-foots.

Cyclamen Tortrix Clepsis spectrana, North Elmham, 5th July

Buff Arches, North Elmham, 5th July

Rustic, North Elmham, 5th July

A variety of other insects trapped included the mayfly Serratella ignita, the caddisflies Hydropsyche siltalai, Hydropsyche pellucidula, Goera pilosa and Leptocerus tineiformis, 3 more of the leafhopper Iassus lanio and the beetles Brown Chafer and Lagria hirta.  There was also a Common Frog and earlier a Small Tortoiseshell had come into my study.

Next day there was another new moth for the garden: Small Crest Anarsia spartiella.

Small Crest Anarsia spartiella, North Elmham, 6th July

Brown Scallop and Double Lobed were new for the year here and species I don't see here more than once or twice a year usually; Lesser Yellow Underwing was also new for the year.

Brown Scallop, North Elmham, 6th July

Double Lobed, North Elmham, 6th July

Lesser Yellow Underwing, North Elmham, 6th July

Another Viburnum Button Acleris schalleriana was of note.

Viburnum Button Acleris schalleriana (male, gen det), North Elmham, 6th July

Other moths that night were Hazel Slender Parornix devoniella, 3 Little Ermels Swammerdamia pyrella, Hawthorn Ermel Paraswammerdamia nebulella, Cinereous Groundling Bryotropha terrella, Gorse Crest Brachmia blandella, London Dowd Blastobasis lacticolella, Hook-marked Straw Moth Agapeta hamana, Burdock Conch Aethes rubigana, 4 Dark Fruit-tree Tortrixes Pandemis heparana, Large Fruit-tree Tortrix Archips podana, Large Ivy Tortrix Lozotaenia forsterana, 3 Grey Tortrixes Cnephasia stephensiana, Common Marble Celypha lacunana, Triangle-marked Roller Ancylis achatana, Hoary Bell Eucosma cana, 2 Many-plumed Moths Alucita hexadactyla, 15 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, Grass-veneer Crambus pascuella, Yellow Satin Veneer Crambus perlella, 3 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis, 2 Small Greys Eudonia mercurella, Elder Pearl Anania coronata, 4 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, Bee Moth Aphomia sociella, Grey Knot-horn Acrobasis advenella, 2 Ermine Knot-horns Phycitodes binaevella, 3 White Plumes Pterophorus pentadactyla, Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla, Chinese Character, Blood-vein, Least Carpet, 5 Small Fan-footed Waves, 7 Single-dotted Waves, Riband Wave, Shaded Broad-bar, Small Rivulet, 2 Clouded Borders, Scorched Carpet, Early Thorn, Scalloped Oak, Willow Beauty, Engrailed, Common White Wave, Coxcomb Prominent, Round-winged Muslin, 5 Rosy Footmen, 6 Dingy Footmen, 12 Common Footmen, Buff Ermine, Large Yellow Underwing, 2 Double Square-spots, Nutmeg, Clay, 4 Smoky Wainscots, Slender Brindle, Common Rustic, 15 Uncertains, Rustic, 2 Nut-tree Tussocks, Beautiful Hook-tip, 3 Fan-foots and Small Fan-foot.

Another or the same Common Frog was looking on and other insects included the green lacewings Cucnctochrysa albolineata and Dichochrysa flavifrons, the caddisflies Ecnomus tenellus and Athripsodes aterrimus and the beetle Lagria hirta.

Next day another Small Tortoiseshell appeared in the house, there was a Meadow Brown, Common Wasp and, new for the garden apparently (though surely not really), Red-tailed Bumblebee.

Small Tortoiseshell, North Elmham, 7th July