Review of 2019 and 2020 - Moths: Geometers (Geometridae) - part 4: Carpets III (Pennithera to Dysstroma)

GEOMETERS (GEOMETRIDAE) (continued)


Pine Carpet Pennithera firmata - Singles here on 24th September and 5th October 2019 and 1st August and 27th September 2020, making it 4 consecutive years that I've trapped 2 here (before that one in 2016 and none in 2014/15).  Elsewhere singles at Swanton Great Wood and Row Heath (West Runton) on 27th and 31st August 2019 and one at Bintree Wood on 13th June 2020.

Pine Carpet, Swanton Great Wood, 27th August 2019

Pine Carpet, North Elmham, 5th October 2019

Spruce Carpet Thera britannica - Singles here on 23rd October and 2nd November 2019, 2 on 27th May and one on 18th October 2020.  That's about average here.  Elsewhere singles at Swanton Great Wood and Row Heath (West Runton) on 27th and 31st August 2019.

Spruce Carpet, North Elmham, 23rd October 2019

Spruce Carpet, North Elmham, 27th May 2020

male Spruce Carpet, North Elmham, 18th October 2020

Grey Pine Carpet Thera obeliscata - Despite having averaged about 7 a year I didn't catch any of these at home in 2019 and only 3 in 2020 (21st May and 14th and 15th August).  A few elsewhere including one at the meadows on 22nd April 2019, one at Bintree Wood, 6 at Hills and Holes, 6 at Row Heath (West Runton), one in Cornwall and singles at 3 sites on Mull.  One or two of the latter (shown below) were types that I find quite tricky to tell apart from Spruce Carpet - fortunately they were males enabling me to check their diagnostic antennae.

male Grey Pine Carpet, Carsaig (Mull), 13th June

male Grey Pine Carpet, Ceann Chnocain (Mull), 13th June - showing the diagnostic antenna

Grey Pine Carpet, Hills and Holes, 21st May 2020

Juniper Carpet Thera juniperata - None.  This is a rare example of a moth that I caught regularly at my last house in Bawdeswell (25 in the bedroom between 2007 and 2013) but which I haven't caught at all since moving to North Elmham in 2014.


Blue-bordered Carpet Plemyria rubiginata - Singles in the garden on 23rd July 2019 (my latest ever record, though only by a day) and 24th June 2020.  I just about record this here annually with a total of 9 since 2015.

Blue-bordered Carpet, North Elmham, 23rd July 2019

Blue-bordered Carpet, North Elmham, 24th June 2020

Barred Yellow Cidaria fulvata - 6 caught in the garden between 24th June and 5th July 2019 and then just 2 in 2020, on 22nd and 26th June.  About 8 is average.  Elsewhere one at the meadows, one at Weybourne and 4 at Brancaster.

Barred Yellow, North Elmham, 27th June 2019

Barred Yellow, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 30th June 2019

Barred Yellow, North Elmham, 22nd June 2020

Broken-barred Carpet Electrophaes corylata - None in 2019, my first blank year since moving here, and just 2 in 2020, on 18th and 20th May.  I had caught 3-4 in the garden in each of the previous 4 years.

Broken-barred Carpet, North Elmham, 18th May 2020

Purple Bar Cosmorrhoe ocellata - 3 caught in my garden between 21st and 30th August 2019 and 6 between 30th July and 22nd August 2020.  Also one next door, 2 at Bintree Wood and one at Sculthorpe Moor (26th April 2019).  A fairly typical showing.


Phoenix Eulithis prunata - One in my garden trap on 26th July 2019 but none in 2020.  I recorded 13 here in 2 years (2016-17) but none in 2018 so this species seems to be quite erratic in its occurrence here.  Elsewhere one at Swanton Great Wood on 27th August 2019, my latest ever record.

Phoenix, North Elmham, 26th July 2019

Chevron Eulithis testata - None in 2019; one in the garden on 11th August 2020 was a first for the garden.  The only other relatively local example that I've ever caught was one at my old house in Bawdeswell back in 2010.

Chevron, North Elmham, 11th August 2020

Spinach Eulithis mellinata -None.  This was one of the biggest holes in my moth list until 2018 but it remains a gap in my garden list despite there being a record from the other moth-trapper in my street.


Barred Straw Gandaritis pyraliata - Totals of 61 in the garden between 22nd June and 14th July 2019 and 57 between 13th June and 12th July, including a record count of 9 on 5th July 2019.  Despite the record the overall numbers were average.  Elsewhere 9 at the meadows (5 nights), one at Bintree Wood and one at Hellesdon.

Barred Straw, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 30th June 2019

Barred Straw, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 7th July 2019

Barred Straw, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 18th July 2020

Small Phoenix Ecliptopera silaceata - Totals of 5 trapped at home between 21st July and 7th August 2019 and 3 between 26th May and 11th August 2020.  Although I've recorded up to 8 in a year here, 2 out of 5 years were blank.  Elsewhere one at the meadows on 31st May, one in Hellesdon and a total of 10 on Mull.

Small Phoenix, Carsaig (Mull), 10th June 2019

Small Phoenix, North Elmham, 7th August 2019

Small Phoenix, North Elmham, 26th May 2020

Small Phoenix, North Elmham, 23rd July 2020

Red-green Carpet Chloroclysta siterata - In the spring flight period one in the garden on 23rd May 2019 and one at the meadows a couple of nights later, then singles at home on 20th and 21st May 2020.  In the autumn singles in the garden on 4th October and 26th November 2019 (my latest ever) and one at the meadows on 4th October, then 3 between 20th September and 20th October 2020 and 2 at the meadows on 8th November.  After 13 here in my first autumn (2014) I thought this species was going to be commoner here but it must have been a good year as I've only had a total of 20 in 6 years since then (with none in 2018).

Red-green Carpet, North Elmham, 23rd May 2019

Red-green Carpet, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 4th October 2019

Red-green Carpet, North Elmham, 20th May 2020

Red-green Carpet, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 8th November 2020

Common Marbled Carpet Dysstroma truncata - In 2019, 9 in the garden between 1st and 15th June and then 5 between 7th and 28th September.  In 2020, 11 between 21st May and 24th June and 11 between 8th August and 30th September.  These were my worst showings so far - I was averaging 65 a year previously.  Elsewhere 2 at the meadows, 2 at Swanton Great Wood, 2 at Whitwell Street, 2 on Mull and 26 in Cornwall.

Common Marbled Carpet, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 31st May 2019

Common Marbled Carpet, Swanton Great Wood, 27th August 2019

Dark Marbled Carpet Dysstroma citrataa - None.  I have never seen this species, in fact I'm not convinced it exists in Norfolk...


Next page: more Geometridae

47 species of Coleophora and 638 individuals before I find the commonest of them all

Among 59 species of moth on 28th June were 3 new for the year: Dark Neb Bryotropha affinis, Brown-barred Tortrix Epagoge grotiana and Small Emerald.

Dark Neb Bryotropha affinis, North Elmham, 28th June

Brown-barred Tortrix Epagoge grotiana, North Elmham, 28th June

Small Emerald, North Elmham, 28th June

The other 56 were Little Dwarf Elachista canapennella, 4 Brown House Moths Hofmannophila pseudospretella, 3 Common Yellow Conches Agapeta hamana, Large Fruit-tree Tortrix Archips podana, 3 Large Ivy Tortrixes Lozotaenia forsterana, Grey Tortrix Cnephasia stephensiana, Flax Tortrix Cnephasia asseclana, Yellow Oak Button Aleimma loeflingiana, 6 Barred Marbles Celypha striana, 10 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Marbled Orchard Tortrix Hedya nubiferana, Red Piercer Lathronympha strigana, 12 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, Inlaid Grass-veneer Crambus pascuella, Satin Grass-veneer Crambus perlella, Common Grey Scoparia ambigualis, Little Grey Eudonia lacustrata, Small Grey Eudonia mercurella, Rosy Tabby Endotricha flammealis, Bee Moth Aphomia sociella, White Plume Pterophorus pentadactyla, Ghost Moth, Buff Arches, 2 Small Fan-footed Waves, 4 Dwarf Cream Waves, 9 Single-dotted Waves, Treble Brown Spot, 7 Riband Waves, Large Twin-spot Carpet, Garden Carpet, Shaded Broad-bar, 2 Barred Straws, Foxglove Pug, Clouded Border, Brimstone Moth, 2 Willow Beauties, 3 Engraileds, Common White Wave, 4 Common Footmen, 11 Buff Ermines, 3 Ingrailed Clays, 4 Double Square-spots, Bright-line Brown-eye, Clay, Smoky Wainscot, 2 Common Wainscots, Brown Rustic, Dark Arches, 11 Uncertains, Rustic, Burnished Brass, Spectacle, 2 Beautiful Hook-tips, 2 Straw Dots, 2 Snouts and Fan-foot.

Next day I had two clearwing pheremone lures out - both attracted things that were new for the garden year list but neither were clearwings, or indeed moths.  The Yellow-legged Clearwing lure attracted the mirid bug Phylus coryli and the Currant Clearwing lure attracted the hoverfly Eupeodes corollae.

Phylus coryli, North Elmham, 29th June

Eupeodes corollae, North Elmham, 29th June

That night brought nearly 250 moths of 85 species including several new for the year.  One of these was completely new for me, but very much overdue.  For the last few years I have attempted to identify nearly every Coleophora I've caught, which for the majority of species requires microscopic examination (a few species are distinctive enough to identify in the field, but not many).  I had already identified 638 individual Coleophora and these have covered 47 different species, but there was one big glaring gap in the list - the one species that is said to be the commonest of them all!  How could I get through all those Coleophora of all those species and still not find the one I'm theoretically most likely to find?  Well on 29th June it finally appeared in my trap, the Common Case-bearer Coleophora serratella.  It's describes as the commonest British Coleophora, so how come I hadn't had one before?  Well I don't know the answer to that, but here are some ideas. 

1. It's a species that doesn't come to light very often compared to many other species - most Coleophora records relate to their larval cases as relatively few moth-recorders both identifying adults, so the species' relative abundance is mainly determined by larval records whereas my personal records are mainly of adults that have come to light;
2. They just happen to not be common in my immediate vicinity, but are common elsewhere - this may be partly true but unlikely to be the only explanation as I do a fair bit of trapping at a variety of other sites too;
3. They've had a recent run of poor years so I've missed them in the relatively short time that I've been doing microscopy - some evidence to support the idea that this has been a relatively good year in that I went on to trap two more this summer, one more at home and another in the Waveney Valley;
4. They were the commonest species when status descriptions were written but have declined (relatively at least) so that they are not any longer the commonest.  

My guess is that the reality is a combination of some or all of these ideas and probably others I haven't thought of, but this is a good example of how delving into the world of microscopy throws up some interesting questions.

Common Case-bearer Coleophora serratella (female, gen det), North Elmham, 29th June

Other new moths for the year were White-legged Case-bearer Coleophora albitarsella (only my second here and third anywhere), Red-barred Tortrix Ditula angustiorana, Mother of Pearl Pleuroptya ruralis, Gold Triangle Hypsopygia costalis, Peach Blossom, Blue-bordered Carpet, Cloaked Minor and Common Rustic.

White-legged Case-bearer Coleophora albitarsella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 29th June

Gold Triangle Hypsopygia costalis, North Elmham, 29th June

Peach Blossom, North Elmham, 29th June

Blue-bordered Carpet, North Elmham, 29th June

Cloaked Minor, North Elmham, 29th June

Common Rustic (male, gen det), North Elmham, 29th June

The rest of the moths were Diamond-back Plutella xylostella, Brown House Moth Hofmannophila pseudospretella, Burdock Neb Metzneria lappella, 2 London Dowds Blastobasis lacticolella, 3 Common Yellow Conches Agapeta hamana, 3 Large Ivy Tortrixes Lozotaenia forsterana, Flax Tortrix Cnephasia asseclana, Light Grey Tortrix Cnephasia incertana, 2 Green Oak Tortrixes Tortrix viridana, 2 Barred Marbles Celypha striana, 5 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, 2 Plum Tortrixes Hedya pruniana, 6 Marbled Orchard Tortrixes Hedya nubiferana, 2 Triangle-marked Rollers Ancylis achatana, Crescent Bell Epinotia bilunana, Bramble Shoot Notocelia uddmanniana, Hoary Bell Eucosma cana, Many-plume Moth Alucit hexadactyla, 32 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, Inlaid Grass-veneer Crambus pascuella, 2 Satin Grass-veneers Crambus perlella, Meadow Grey Scoparia pyralella, 6 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis, 5 Little Greys Eudonia lacustrata, Small Grey Eudonia mercurella, 7 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, Elder Pearl Anania coronata, Rosy Tabby Endotricha flammealis, Bee Moth Aphomia sociella, 2 White Plumes Pterophorus pentadactyla, 2 Common Plumes Emmelina monodactyla, Ghost Moth, 2 Common Emeralds, 8 Small Fan-footed Waves, 3 Dwarf Cream Waves, Small Dusty Wave, 8 Single-dotted Waves, 2 Treble Brown Spots, 9 Riband Waves, Large Twin-spot Carpet, 3 Barred Straws, Barred Yellow, Sandy Carpet, 2 V-Pugs, 2 Green Pugs, Double-striped Pug, 3 Brimstone Moths, Early Thorn, Swallow-tailed Moth, 2 Mottled Beauties, 2 Engraileds, Common White Wave, 2 Clouded Silvers, Elephant Hawk-moth, 4 Rosy Footmen, Dingy Footman, 7 Common Footmen, 2 Buff Ermines, Short-cloaked Moth, Heart and Club, 3 Flames, Flame Shoulder, 2 Double Square-spots, 2 Bright-line Brown-eyes, 4 Smoky Wainscots, 3 Brown Rustics, 4 Dark Arches, Middle-barred Minor, 17 Uncertains, Rustic, Mottled Rustic, 6 Burnished Brasses, 4 Beautiful Hook-tips, 2 Straw Dots, 15 Snouts and 2 Fan-foots.

Other insects included two new species for me, the mirid bug Phoenicocoris obscurellus and the barkfly Mesopsocus immunis.  There was also a Common Earwig, the caddisflies Limnephilus auricula and Limnephilus lunatus and a Common Frog.

Phoenicocoris obscurellus, North Elmham, 29th June

Mesopsocus immunis (male, gen det), North Elmham, 29th June

Cherry Midget

Tuesday 4th July was a reasonably good night for moths here with over 400 moths of 98 species.  Last year's peak of 153 and 154 species on consecutive nights seems like a dream compared to this year's paltry performance.  The best of the 98 was a lifer, Cherry Midget Phyllonorycter cerasicolella, although I had seen at least one of the aggregate species pair spinicolella/cerasicolella before.  Interestingly this one didn't seem to have dark tips to the antennae as both spinicolella and cerasicolella are supposed to but unless I've missed something the female genitalia of the two are quite distinctive (compared to other Phyllonorycters - not so distinctive from one another but do-able).

Cherry Midget Phyllonorycter cerasicolella (female, gen det), North Elmham, 4th July

One other moth was new for the garden - Ochreous Pearl Anania crocealis.

Ochreous Pearl Anania crocealis, North Elmham, 4th July

A Small Rush Case-bearer Coleophora taeniipennella was only my second (my first was here last July).

Small Rush Case-bearer Coleophora taeniipennella (female, gen det), North Elmham, 4th July

Also new for the year here were White-headed Ermel Paraswammerdamia albicapitella, Base-lined Grey Scoparia basistrigalis, Beautiful China-mark Nymphula nitidulata, 2 Grey Knot-horns Acrobasis advenella, Brown-tail, 2 Yellow-tails, Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, Dun-bar, Clouded Brindle, Common Rustic and Cream-bordered Green Pea.

White-headed Ermel Paraswammerdamia albicapitella, North Elmham, 4th July

Base-lined Grey Scoparia basistrigalis (male, gen det), North Elmham, 4th July

Beautiful China-mark Nymphula nitidulata, North Elmham, 4th July

Grey Knot-horn Acrobasis advenella, North Elmham, 4th July

Brown-tail, North Elmham, 4th July

Broad-bordered Yellow Umderwing, North Elmham, 4th July

Clouded Brindle, North Elmham, 4th July

Common Rustic (male, gen det), North Elmham, 4th July

Cream-bordered Green Pea, North Elmham, 4th July

The others were Fulvous Clothes Moth Tinea semifulvella, Hawthorn Slender Parornix anglicella, 20 Bird-cherry Ermines Yponomeuta evonymella, Eastern Case-bearer Coleophora vestianella, 2 Triple-spot Dwarfs Elachista maculicerusella, 2 Brown House Moths Hofmannophila pseudospretella, 2 Burdock Nebs Metzneria lappella, Gorse Crest Brachmia blandella, London Dowd Blastobasis lacticolella, 12 Hook-marked Straw Moths Agapeta hamana, 2 Dark Fruit-tree Tortrixes Pandemis heparana, 5 Large Fruit-tree Tortrixes Archips podana, 3 Privet Tortrixes Clepsis consimilana, 7 Grey Tortrixes Cnephasia stephensiana, Barred Marble Celypha striana, 3 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Plum Tortrix Hedya pruniana, 4 Marbled Orchard Tortrixes Hedya nubiferana, 3 Triangle-marked Rollers Ancylis achatana, Holly Tortrix Rhopobota naevana, Common Cloaked Shoot Gypsonoma dealbana, White-foot Bell Epiblema foenella, 5 Hoary Bells Eucosma cana, Bud Moth Spilonota ocellana, Many-plumed Moth Alucita hexadactyla, 31 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, Grass-veneer Crambus pascuella, 3 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis, 3 Little Greys Eudonia lacustrata, Ringed China-mark Parapoynx stratiotata, 3 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, Long-winged Pearl Anania lancealis, 17 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, 2 Rosy Tabbies Endotricha flammealis, 2 White Plumes Pterophorus pentadactyla, 2 Common Plumes Emmelina monodactyla, 2 Chinese Characters, Common Emerald, Blood-vein, Small Blood-vein, 10 Small Fan-footed Waves, Dwarf Cream Wave, Small Dusty Wave, 10 Single-dotted Waves, 2 Riband Waves, Yellow Shell, Phoenix, Barred Straw, Blue-bordered Carpet, Small Rivulet, 3 V-Pugs, 2 Double-striped Pugs, 2 Clouded Borders, 4 Brimstone Moths, 8 Early Thorns, Purple Thorn, Scalloped Oak, 3 Willow Beauties, Mottled Beauty, 3 Clouded Silvers, Light Emerald, Elephant Hawk-moth, Buff-tip, Round-winged Muslin, 8 Rosy Footmen, 8 Dingy Footmen, Scarce Footman, 51 Common Footmen, 4 Buff Ermines, Short-cloaked Moth, Heart and Club, 3 Flames, 5 Double Square-spots, 2 Brown-line Bright Eyes, 9 Clays, 13 Smoky Wainscots, 3 Dark Arches, 52 Uncertains, 2 Rustics, Mottled Rustic, 3 Nut-tree Tussocks, 3 Beautiful Hook-tips, Straw Dot and 3 Fan-foots.

Long-winged Pearl Anania lancealis, North Elmham, 4th July

Blue-bordered Carpet, North Elmham, 4th July

As usual when there are a lot of moths, there was a good variety of other insects (and a Common Frog).  Mayflies were represented by Serratella ignita while Lacewings consisted of a female Conwentzia sp. (a waxfly - only male Conwentzia can be identified to species level) and the brown lacewing Hemerobius humulinus.  Caddisflies included Hydropsyche pellucidula and my second Silo pallipes.  Bugs consisted of 2 Stenotus binotatus and 5 Iassus lanio (leafhopper), the latter new for the year.

Iassus lanio, North Elmham, 4th July

Among the beetles I identified Enochrus quadripunctatus for the first time ever, 2 Aphodius rufipes, 2 Brown Chafers, Rhagonycha fulva, Orange Ladybird (new for the year) and 2 Lagria hirta.

Enochrus quadripunctatus, North Elmham, 4th July