Review of 2019 and 2020 - Moths: Dwarfs (Elachistidae) (part 2) and Cosmets (Parametriotidae)

 DWARFS (ELACHISTIDAE) (continued)


Bog Dwarf Elachista utonella - Singles caught at home on 31st July 2019 and 26th July and 11th August 2020.   I'd only caught 2 here before, both in 2016.  Although I can imagine worn examples would cause a problem this species seems reasonably distinctive in its external appearance so I'm surprised it is Grade 4 (requiring gen det) - there are plenty of Grade 2 species that I find much more troublesome, including among the Elachistids.

male Bog Dwarf Elachista utonella, North Elmham, 31st July 2019

male Bog Dwarf Elachista utonella, North Elmham, 26th July 2020

Field Dwarf Elachista consortella - I guess this has got to go down as one of the lepidopteran events of the year - at least my year - as I caught Norfolk's first, second and third examples of this species in 2020, all at different sites and spanning both vice counties.  The first was with Dave at the meadows, a worn example that I netted on 13th June.  It was extremely active in the pot and I never managed to get a good look at it (or a photo of it) while it was stationery, until it was dead.  The next one was in my own garden trap on 10th August and like the first, it was too worn to get much of a clue to its identity prior to dissection.  Then I caught another with Joe at Whitwell Street on 3rd September and this one was fresh enough to see that it was probably one of the trio of species that were formerly placed in the genus Cosmiotes.  It was clearly a good year for this species (which I had seen once before, in Cornwall) and there was a fourth record later in September plus I believe there are a couple more that have recently been dissected and aren't yet showing on Norfolk Moths.

male Field Dwarf Elachista consortella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 13th June 2020

male Field Dwarf Elachista consortella, North Elmham, 10th August 2020

male Field Dwarf Elachista consortella, Whitwell Street, 3rd September 2020

Southern Dwarf Elachista stabilella - It was an exceptional year in Norfolk for all 3 of the former Cosmiotes species but especially consortella and stabilella.  I got plenty of the action with consortella but only just snuck in with stabilella, one caught along with the third consortella with Joe at Whitwell Street.  There were another 4 records of this species in Norfolk in 2020 (one of which involved 8 individuals) although I'm pretty sure I heard about a couple of others that seem not to have been submitted.  There were only 2 previous county records (both from 2016).  It will be interesting to see if 2020 goes down as a flash-in-a-pan one-off for the former Cosmiotes or if they will regularly be recorded here from now on.  Incidentally I would not currently be able to separate stabilella from freyerella on genitalia, so it's a good job stabilella (and not freyerella) has a white head and vertex (though a worn example might not be resolvable this way).  The differences described in the genitalia are extremely subtle and don't appear to correspond to published photos and diagrams of the respective genitalia.

male Southern Dwarf Elachista stabilella, Whitwell Street, 3rd September 2020

-----------------------------------

COSMETS (PARAMETRIOTIDAE)


Hawthorn Cosmet Blastodacna hellerella - 2019 was my best year for these to date with a total of 19 here between 22nd June and 25th July.  2020 was more average with 9 between 24th June and 31st July though including a relatively unusual peak of 4 on 26th June.  Elsewhere just 3 at Weybourne in July 2019.


Apple-pit Moth Blastodacna atra - One trapped in my garden on 4th August 2019, almost a year after my first here on 5th August 2018.  This is quite a scarce species in Norfolk with just 15 previous records.  None in 2020.

Apple-pith Moth Blastodacna atra, North Elmham, 4th August 2019

Yellow-headed Cosmet Spuleria flavicaput - One to light at the meadows on 25th May 2019, a first for me.  This species enjoyed a good year in 2019 with 6 records across the county, as many as there had been in the previous 30+ years.

Yellow-headed Cosmet Spuleria flavicaput, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May 2019

Next page: Momphidae plus

3 new moths for the garden and a new lacewing

It was a poor night by neighbouring night's standards on 4th August with just 40 species.  Only one was new for the year, though a moth I'd only seen here once before: Small Dotted Buff.

Small Dotted Buff, North Elmham, 4th August

Other moths were Carrion Moth Monopis weaverella, Hawthorn Slender Parornix anglicella, Beech Midget Phyllonorycter maestingella, 2 Little Ermines Swammerdamia pyrella, Woundwort Case-bearer Coleophora lineolea, Brown House Moth Hofmannophila pseudospretella, Straw Conch Cochylimorpha straminea, 3 Garden Rose Tortrixes Acleris variegana, 2 Barred Marbles Celypha striana, Hoary Bell Eucosma cana, 9 Straw Grass-veneers Agriphila straminella, 30 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, Beautiful China-mark Nymphula nitidulata, Mother of Pearl Pleuroptya ruralis, Rosy Tabby Endotricha flammealis, 2 Common Plumes Emmelina monodactyla, Single-dotted Wave, Red Twin-spot Carpet, Shaded Broad-bar, Common Carpet, Small Waved Umber, Maple Pug, Dusky Thorn, Early Thorn, Scalloped Oak, Pebble Prominent, Swallow Prominent, Coxcomb Prominent, 2 Dingy Footmen, Ruby Tiger, 5 Turnip Moths, 2 Flame Shoulders, Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, 6 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, 3 Common Wainscots, 2 Straw Underwings, Twin-spotted Wainscot, Silver Y and 7 Straw Dots.

Twin-spotted Wainscot, North Elmham, 4th August

Other insects included Blue-winged Olive Serratella ignita (a mayfly) and Bradycellus verbasci (a beetle). Also noticed a Common Zebra Spider Salticus scenicus indoors during the day.

The following night was considerably better. with no less than 3 new moths for the garden including one I'd never seen anywhere before.  The lifer was Clouded Slender Caloptilia populetorum, apparently an increasing species with as many records in Norfolk in the last couple of years as there had ever been up to 2015.

Clouded Slender Caloptilia populetorum, North Elmham, 5th August

I thought this very worn moth was going to be one of the Momphids but on dissection it clearly didn't fit.  Skimming through other genitalia diagrams came across similar ones for the two Blastodacna species.  I see hellerella quite often and this was much bigger (forewing length 6 mm, worn).  Mine was in fact an Apple-pith Moth Blastodacna atra, a much rarer species.  I'd seen one in 2012 when living at Bawdeswell wbich was only second site the species had been recorded at in Norfolk since the 1800s and 3 people have recorded them since then, but it remains a very scarce species in Norfolk.  Don't think I would have ever guessed this ID from the moth's external appearance, although the size would have been a pretty big clue if I'd ever managed to figure out that it was a Blastodacna.  Fortunately there are a few small differences in the genitalia and this confirmed it.  The one I saw in 2012 was much easier!

Apple-pith Moth Blastodacna atra (female, gen det), North Elmham, 5th August

The third new moth for the garden had come from at least 15 miles away and was a bit more straightforward to identify: a Saltmarsh Plume Agdistis bennetii.  My third saltmarsh species this summer, though unlike the Silver-streaked Case-bearer Coleophora limoniella and the Saltern Groundling Scrobipalpa instabililla this species is well-known for occasionally wandering inland.

Saltmarsh Plume Agdistis bennetii, North Elmham, 5th August

There were 3 more moths that were new for the year: Pine Leaf-mining Moth Clavigesta purdeyi, Miller and 5 Flounced Rustics.

Pine Leaf-mining Moth Clavigesta purdeyi, North Elmham, 5th August

Miller, North Elmham, 5th August

Flounced Rustics, North Elmham, 5th August

A Twin-spotted Wainscot was my fifth this year - remarkable for a not-particularly-common species that lives in reedbeds.  It was in fact the fourth consecutive night the species turned up here, but definitely different individuals involved.  Also noteworthy were 4 Maple Pugs - double the highest number I've trapped on one night before.  Another record count was 6 Golden Argents Argyresthia goedartella.

Maple Pug, North Elmham, 5th August

The other moths were Carrion Moth Monopis weaverella, Bird’s-nest Moth Tinea trinotella, a Parornix sp. (escaped before it could be identified), Ermine sp. Yponomeuta padella/malinellus/cagnagella, 2 Little Ermines Swammerdamia pyrella, 3 Diamond-backs Plutella xylostella, Small Dingy Tubic Borkhausenia fuscescens, 3 Brown House Moths Hofmannophila pseudospretella, 2 Long-horned Flat-bodies Carcina quercana, Dark Neb Bryotropha affinis, 4 Cinerous Nebs Bryotropha terrella, House Neb Bryotropha domestica, 5 Dingy Dowds Blastobasis adustella, 2 Light Brown Apple-moths Epiphyas postvittana, 2 Garden Rose Tortrixes Acleris variegana, Barred Marble Celypha striana, Blotched Marble Endothenia quadrimaculana, Rush Marble Bactra lancealana, 3 Marbled Piercers Cydia splendana, 23 Straw Grass-veneers Agriphila straminella, 33 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, 2 Water Veneers Acentria ephemerella, Little Grey Eudonia lacustrata, 2 Small Greys Eudonia mercurella, 2 Beautiful China-marks Nymphula nitidulata, Garden Pebble Evergestis forficalis, Pale Straw Pearl Udea lutealis, 15 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, 3 Grey Knot-horns Acrobasis advenella, Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla, Blood-vein, 3 Single-dotted Waves, 2 Red Twin-spot Carpets, 5 Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpets, Common Carpet, Small Phoenix, 2 Currant Pugs, 3 Double-striped Pugs, 3 Yellow-barred Brindles, 2 Magpie Moths, 2 Brimstone Moths, 2 Canary-shouldered Thorns, 2 Willow Beauties, Lesser Swallow Prominent, Pale Prominent, 2 Dingy Footmen, Scarce Footman, 3 Turnip Moths, 3 Shuttle-shaped Darts, 12 Flame Shoulders, 4 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwings, 9 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, White-point, 3 Common Wainscots, 3 Straw Underwings, Cloaked Minor, 2 Vine's Rustics, Spectacle and 5 Straw Dots.

Yellow-barred Brindle, North Elmham, 5th August

Cloaked Minor, North Elmham, 5th August

Among the other insects the clear highlight was another new pine-feeding brown lacewing, this time Hemerobius stigma.

Hemerobius stigma, North Elmham, 5th August

Other lacewings were 2 Chrysoperla carnea, Cunctochrysa albolineata, Dichochrysa flavifrons and 3 Micromus variegatus.  Mayflies consisted of Pond Olive Cloeon dipterum, Pale Evening Dun Procloeon bifidum and 8 Blue-winged Olives Serratella ignita and the caddisflies were 2 Ithytrichia lamellaris, Hydropsyche pellucidula, 4 Hydropsyche siltalai, Limnephilus marmoratus, Molanna angustata and Leptocerus tineiformis.

Among the leafhoppers this Lamprotettix nitidulus was new for the year.

Lamptotettix nitidulus, North Elmham, 5th August

I think this leafhopper is Oncopsis flavicollis but I have never seen this form before - it looks completely different from others I've seen.

Oncopsis flavicollis, North Elmham, 5th August

Apart from those leafhoppers, the only bug was Stenodema calcarata.

Stenodema calcarata, North Elmham, 5th August

Acorn Weevil Curculio glandium was new for the year.  Other beetles were 3 Amara apricaria, Bradycellus verbasci, Nicrophorus investigator and Aphodius rufipes.

Acorn Weevil Curculio glandium, North Elmham, 5th August

Finally there were 5 Hornets.