Compared to the previous two nights 25th July was relatively quiet, with just 2 new moths for the year: Dark Ash-bud Moth
Prays ruficeps and Little Mompha
Mompha raschkiella.
Little Mompha Mompha raschkiella, North Elmham, 25th July
The other micros were Fulvous Clothes Moth
Tinea semifulvella, Bird’s-nest Moth
Tinea trinotella, Garden Midget
Phyllonorycter messaniella, Willow Bent-wing
Phyllocnistis saligna, Little Ermine
Swammerdamia pyrella, Wainscot Smudge
Ypsolopha scabrella, 3 Clover Case-bearers
Coleophora alcyonipennella, Woundwort Case-bearer
Coleophora lineolea, 2 Long-horned Flat-bodies
Carcina quercana, 2 Cinerous Nebs
Bryotropha terrella, 2 House Nebs
Bryotropha domestica, Ash-coloured Crest
Acompsia cinerella, Orange Crest
Helcystogramma rufescens, probable Four-spotted Obscure
Oegoconia quadripuncta (not confirmed), 4 Dingy Dowds
Blastobasis adustella, Red-barred Tortrix
Ditula angustiorana, 2 Garden Rose Tortrixes
Acleris variegana, 4 Barred Marbles
Celypha striana,
3 Bright Bells
Eucosma hohenwartiana, 2 Hoary Bells
Eucosma cana, 2 Bud Moths
Spilonota ocellana, 3 Garden Grass-veneers
Chrysoteuchia culmella, Inlaid Grass-veneer
Crambus pascuella, 236 Straw Grass-veneers
Agriphila straminella, 8 Common Grass-veneers
Agriphila tristella, 4 Water Veneers
Acentria ephemerella, 2 Small Greys
Eudonia mercurella, 2 Ringed China-marks
Parapoynx stratiotata, Beautiful China-mark
Nymphula nitidulata, 2 Garden Pebbles
Evergestis forficalis, Lesser Pearl
Sitochroa verticalis, Dusky Pearl
Udea prunalis, 6 Mother of Pearls
Pleuroptya ruralis and Broad-barred Knot-horn
Acrobasis consociella.
Macros consisted of
2 Least Carpets, 5 Small Fan-footed Waves, 7 Single-dotted Waves, 6 Riband Waves, Red Twin-spot Carpet, 2 Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpets,
2 Small Phoenixes, July Highflyer,
2 Lime-speck Pugs,
Magpie Moth, Clouded Border, Brimstone Moth,
Bordered Beauty, Early Thorn, Scalloped Oak, Poplar Hawk-moth, 3 Pale Prominents, 2 Yellow-tails, 12 Dingy Footmen, Buff Ermine, 2 Ruby Tigers,
2 Turnip Moths, Shuttle-shaped Dart, Flame Shoulder, Large Yellow Underwing, Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, Bright-line Brown-eye, Brown-line Bright Eye, 3 Clays, Smoky Wainscot, Common Wainscot, Dun-bar, Dusky Sallow, Rosy Rustic, 19 Uncertains, 4 Rustics, Nut-tree Tussock and 3 Straw Dots.
There weren't any lacewings but these were the mayflies: Pond Olive
Cloeon dipterum, 3 Pale Evening Duns
Procloeon bifidum and 10 Blue-winged Olives
Serratella ignita. Caddisflies consisted of
Hydroptila sparsa,
Hydropsyche siltalai, Medium Sedge
Goera pilosa,
Limnephilus auricula and
Molanna angustata.
One of two leafhoppers was a lifer,
Populicerus confusus (the other was
Empoasca vitis). There were 2
Amara apicaria (ground beetles) and a Hornet.
Populicerus confusus, North Elmham, 25th July
The following night was better with 427 moths of 89 species, but it was the other insects, particularly the bugs, that provided most interest. I'll start with the moths though...
A
Rivulet was the only new moth for the year, but there were a few other species I don't record very often, like what I think was a Coarse Hazel Pigmy
Stigmella floslactella (but although it keyed to this relatively distinctive species the genitalia weren't an exact match to images online and other species can perhaps come close in external appearance), and a Thicket Knot-horn
Acrobasis suavella (my third here this year but my first was only last year).
Rrivulet, North Elmham, 26th July
Thicket Knot-horn Acrobasis suavella, North Elmham, 26th July
I can no longer count the Willow Bent-wing
Phyllocnistis saligna or any past records as these are now categorised as Grade 4 requiring dissection. The other two Norfolk
Phyllocnistis species are relatively simply eliminated on external features so I've never retained these for dissection, but there is a fourth species that has not yet been found in Norfolk,
Phyllocnistis ramulicola, that looks very similar. There may be external differences but these haven't been clearly established yet, so in future I shall have to retain and dissect any I get (though at the moment I'm not clear what the differences are in genitalia either...).
A count of
6 Four-spotted Obscures
Oegoconia quadripuncta was a record - in fact I wrote 7 down in my notes as I was clearing the trap but later on I could only find 6 specimens to confirm.
Other micros were Chestnut Pigmy
Stigmella samiatella, 2 Cork Moths
Nemapogon cloacella, Bird’s-nest Moth
Tinea trinotella, Apple Leaf-miner
Lyonetia clerkella, Ribwort Slender
Aspilapteryx tringipennella, 2 Garden Midgets
Phyllonorycter messaniella, Horse-Chestnut Leaf-miner
Cameraria ohridella, Cherry-fruit Moth
Argyresthia pruniella, 2 Bird-cherry Ermines
Yponomeuta evonymella, 2 Little Ermines
Swammerdamia pyrella, Hawthorn Ermine
Paraswammerdamia nebulella, Wainscot Smudge
Ypsolopha scabrella,
5 Diamond-backs Plutella xylostella, Clover Case-bearer
Coleophora alcyonipennella, Little Dwarf
Elachista canapennella, 4 Golden-brown Tubics
Crassa unitella, 3 Small Dingy Tubics
Borkhausenia fuscescens, 5 Brown House Moths
Hofmannophila pseudospretella, 4 Long-horned Flat-bodies
Carcina quercana, Common Flat-body
Agonopterix heracliana, 2 Cinerous Nebs
Bryotropha terrella, Orange Crest
Helcystogramma rufescens, 9 Dingy Dowds
Blastobasis adustella, Hawthorn Cosmet
Blastodacna hellerella, Common Yellow Conch
Agapeta hamana, Burdock Conch
Aethes rubigana, Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix
Pandemis heparana, Privet Tortrix
Clepsis consimilana, Light Brown Apple-moth
Epiphyas postvittana, Garden Rose Tortrix
Acleris variegana, 3 Barred Marbles
Celypha striana, Holly Tortrix
Rhopobota naevana, 3 Hoary Bells
Eucosma cana, 2 Bud Moths
Spilonota ocellana, Marbled Piercer
Cydia splendana, Garden Grass-veneer
Chrysoteuchia culmella, Pale-streak Grass-veneer
Agriphila selasella, 225 Straw Grass-veneers
Agriphila straminella, 20 Common Grass-veneers
Agriphila tristella, Pearl Grass-veneer
Catoptria pinella, Chequered Grass-veneer
Catoptria falsella, 3 Pale Water-veneers
Donacaula forficella, 2 Water Veneers
Acentria ephemerella, Small Grey
Eudonia mercurella, Ringed China-mark
Parapoynx stratiotata, Small Magpie
Anania hortulata, Pale Straw Pearl
Udea lutealis and 7 Mother of Pearls
Pleuroptya ruralis.
The rest of the macros were Blood-vein,
Least Carpet, 2 Small Fan-footed Waves, 7 Single-dotted Waves,
Small Scallop, 4 Riband Waves, 5 Red Twin-spot Carpets, 2 Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpets, Yellow Shell,
Small Phoenix, July Highflyer,
Canary-shouldered Thorn, Early Thorn, Scalloped Oak, Willow Beauty, Pale Prominent, Yellow-tail, Black Arches, 6 Dingy Footmen, 2 Common Footmen, 3 Ruby Tigers, 2 Shuttle-shaped Darts, Flame Shoulder, 2 Large Yellow Underwings, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Double Square-spot, 3 Clays, 2 Smoky Wainscots, Straw Underwing, 4 Dun-bars, Common Rustic, 11 Uncertains, 4 Rustics, 2 Nut-tree Tussocks, Spectacle and 3 Straw Dots.
Mayflies consisted of Pond Olive
Cloeon dipterum, Pale Evening Dun
Procloeon bifidum, 4 Green Drakes
Ephemera danica and 11 Blue-winged Olives
Serratella ignita. Although Green Drakes are the largest Mayfly they don't seem to be very hardy and perhaps only survive one night as most of those I trap are found dead in the bottom of the trap. All 4 of today's were dead.
A waxfly was a female
Coniopteryx - females can't be identified to species level unfortunately. The only other Neuroptera was the brown lacewing
Micromus variegatus.
Caddisflies were 3
Ithytrichia lamellaris,
Polycentropus flavomaculatus,
Hydropsyche siltalai, Mottled Sedge
Glyphotaelius pellucidus,
Athripsodes aterrimus and 3 Grouse Wings
Mystacides longicornis.
It's been a good summer for me finding new species of bug already, and on this one night I caught no less than 4 new species! Starting with the heteropteran bugs,
Orthotylus flavosparsus was a lifer,
Pinalitus cervinus was new for the year and there were 2 more
Trigonotylus caelestialium.
Orthotylus flavosparsus, North Elmham, 26th July
Pinalitus cervinus, North Elmham, 26th July
The homopteran bugs threw up some surprises.
Cicadula frontalis was the first lifer, followed by one I wouldn't necessarily expect here,
Opsius stactogalus. It sounds like this is a new colonists, initially to southern England, but it feeds on Tamarisk which I think of as mainly a coastal plant. Maybe someone has some Tamarisk locally, but I don't recall seeing it. Anyway, it seems to be quite a distinctive species so I presume my ID is correct (though of course I always welcome corrections if any reader notices a mistake). An
Empoasca vitis was the only other leafhopper.
Cicadula frontalis, North Elmham, 26th July
Opsius stactogalus, North Elmham, 26th July
The following planthopper proved to be another interesting find. This one was quite an ID challenge having to be keyed out carefully but in the end I am left with no other options apart from
Struebingianella lugubrina. On the face of it this seems rather unlikely as this prefers marshy habitats and is normally brachypterous (i.e. has very reduced wings). The texts say that macropterous (full-winged) individuals occur rarely (though I can't find any photos of any) so the odds of me trapping a full-winged individual in my garden seem rather low. But I have checked it carefully and if the key is right then that's what it is. Of course new leafhoppers are being found all the time and some of them become common in a short space of time, so perhaps there is another similar species that doesn't feature in the key? I shall enquire about this when I submit my records but in the meantime I'm putting it down as a macropterous
Struebingianella lugubrina. I suppose you could argue that macropterous individuals, rare though they may be, might be the individuals that are most likely to wander far from their usual locations and turn up in moth traps.
(Update May 2021: finally getting round now to submitting my records for 2018-2020 and I was reminded of this record and decided to review it before submitting it. I've still not encountered many similar members of this family though I have now come across a few
Javesella and was immediately struck by its general similarity to
Javesella species. However,
Javesella show a black frons, so this appears not to be one of them. The British Bugs website has been updated since I found this so I had another look there for inspiration and noticed a rather similar looking example of
Scottianella dalei (a macropterous female - macropters are supposed to be rare for that species too), so I checked where that diverged from
lugubrina in the key. The couplet that pushed me to
lugubrina rather than
dalei (and I think it would have ended up at
dalei if I'd gone the other way) was an assessment of size. It seems that I didn't keep the specimen (or at least I can't find it) and I didn't record the size, so I can't double check that now, but assuming I measured it correctly, might it have been an unusually large
dalei? Well, the gonocoxae are important with this group, and I have a photo of its gonocoxae - and they're quite wrong for
dalei and do indeed appear to be a good match for
lugubrina. Indeed none of the gonocoxae illustrated in the key are a good match for it apart from
lugubrina. So for now at least it stays down as
lugubrina, but I remain open to correction should that be necessary. But I do note that
lugubrina is described as "apparently expanding" and the NBN Atlas does show a few records in Norfolk).
apparent macropterous Struebingianella lugubrina, North Elmham, 26th July - the lower photo shows the gonocoxa the shape of which is a significant clue to the identification
Beetles included 3
Amara apricaria, 5
Bradycellus verbasci, 2
Hydrobius fuscipes,
Nicrophorus investigator,
Aphodius rufipes, Common Red Soldier Beetle
Rhagonycha fulva and what I think was either
Ophonus puncticeps or
Ophonus schaubergerianus. There were also two rove beetles that I am currently unable to identify - a smallish black one and a large black one. I thought the latter was going to be a Devil's Coach Horse or something similar but it seems not to be that genus even. I've kept hold of them for now and will check again if I ever get any better references for rove beetles.
The only other thing I noted was a Common Wasp.
