Review of 2019 and 2020 - Moths: Noctuids (Noctuidae) part 6: Dusky Brocade to Common Rustics

NOCTUIDS (NOCTUIDAE) (continued)


Dusky Brocade Apamea remissa - Singles caught in the garden on 20th and 26th June 2020 were my first here since 8 in 2015-16.  Elsewhere 5 caught over 4 nights at our accommodation at Carsaig on Mull between 9th and 13th June 2019.

Dusky Brocades, Carsaig (Mull), 9th June 2019

Dusky Brocade, Carsaig (Mull), 13th June 2019

Dusky Brocade, North Elmham, 20th June 2020

Dusky Brocade, North Elmham, 26th June 2020

Clouded Brindle Apamea apomidion - One in the garden on 26th June 2020, my third here following individuals in 2016 and 2017.  Elsewhere one at Weybourne on 5th July 2019.

Clouded Brindle, Weybourne, 5th July 2019

Clouded Brindle, North Elmham, 26th June 2020

Clouded-bordered Brindle Apamea crenata - 2 in the garden, on 31st May and 5th June 2019.  None in 2020.  This species fluctuates quite a bit here - I had 12 in 2017 but none in 2018.  Elsewhere a total of 6 on Mull in June 2019.

Clouded-bordered Brindle, North Elmham, 31st May 2019

Clouded-bordered Brindle, Carsaig (Mull), 9th June 2019

Clouded-bordered Brindle, Carsaig (Mull), 13th June 2019

Large Nutmeg Apamea anceps - One in the garden on 21st May 2020.  I've only recorded this species at home 3 times before, in 2015, 2016 and 2018.

Large Nutmeg, North Elmham, 21st May 2020

Rustic Shoulder-knot Apamea sordens - 5 caught in the garden between 14th and 30th May 2019 and 10 between 22nd May and 12th June 2020.  8-9 is the average annual total here.  Elsewhere one at the meadows in May 2019.

Rustic Shoulder-knot (with Setaceous Hebrew Character), North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May 2019

Small Clouded Brindle Apamea unanimis - Singles caught in the garden on 31st May and 25th June 2019 and 3 between 28th June and 8th July 2020.  I've only caught this species at home in one previous year, but that year (2017) I caught 6.  Also one at the meadows.

Small Clouded Brindle, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 31st May 2019

Small Clouded Brindle, North Elmham, 31st May 2019

Small Clouded Brindle, North Elmham, 25th June 2019

Small Clouded Brindle, North Elmham, 28th June 2020

Slender Brindle Apamea unanimis - 3 singles trapped in the garden between 17th and 27th July 2019 and one on 8th July 2020.  Around 4-5 a year is average.  Elsewhere one at Bintree Wood.

Slender Brindle, North Elmham, 8th July 2020

Dark Arches Apamea monoglypha - At least 121 caught in the garden between 3rd June and 8th August 2019 (not counted on 4 dates) and 109 between 12th June and 30th August 2020.  These were just a little below average for here.  Elsewhere one next door, 25 at the meadows (including my earliest ever on 31st May 2019), one at Bintree Wood, 4 at Hellesdon, one at Brancaster and 12 at Weybourne.

Dark Arches, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 30th June 2019

Dark Arches, North Elmham, 1st July 2019

Dark Arches, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 18th June 2020

Light Arches Apamea lithoxylaea - 3 in the garden between 27th June and 9th July 2019 and one on 4th July 2020.  I'd never had less than 3 in a year before.  Elsewhere recorded at the meadows on 23rd and 30th June 2019.

Light Arches, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 23rd June 2019

Light Arches, North Elmham, 4th July 2020

Reddish Light Arches Apamea sublustris - None.  In Norfolk this species is pretty much restricted to the Brecks but there are a scattering of records elsewhere so it's not beyond the bounds of possibility that I might get a local one.


Double Lobed Lateroligia ophiogramma - 6 caught in my garden between 17th and 31st July 2019, my best year ever.  I'd not had more than 3 in a year here before and there were none in 2015.  2020 was more typical with singles on 24th June and 8th July.  Elsewhere singles at the meadows on 2 dates, 3 together at Hellesdon (my first threesome anywhere) and 2 at Weybourne on 5th July, all in 2019.

Double Lobed, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 7th July 2019

Double Lobed, North Elmham, 8th July 2020

Common Rustic Mesapamea secalis - Totals of 33 confirmed from my garden between 6th and 29th July 2019 and 63 between 17th June and 14th August 2020.  I'd averaged 70 a year over the previous 4 years but in previous years I'd gen detted nearly all of the Common Rustic aggs. whereas in 2019 I was a bit more selective.  Even so, the total number of Common Rustic aggs. in 2019 was my lowest ever so it does seem that it was a poor year for this species.  Elsewhere just one confirmed from the meadows.

 male Common Rustic, North Elmham, 13th July 2019

male Common Rustic, North Elmham, 14th July 2019

male Common Rustic, North Elmham, 16th July 2019

male Common Rustic, North Elmham, 17th July 2019

male Common Rustic, North Elmham, 18th July 2019

male Common Rustics, North Elmham, 20th July 2019

male Common Rustic, North Elmham, 21st July 2019

male Common Rustic, North Elmham, 23rd July 2019

male Common Rustic, North Elmham, 29th July 2019

male Common Rustic, North Elmham, 13th July 2020

male Common Rustic, North Elmham, 14th July 2020

female Common Rustic, North Elmham, 2nd August 2020

female Common Rustic, North Elmham, 7th August 2020

Lesser Common Rustic Mesapamea didyma - Only 4 confirmed from my garden in 2019, between 7th and 26th July.  In previous years I'd averaged over 20 a year but as more were left undetermined this year I can't be sure it was a bad year (but I think it was).  A bit better in 2020 with 12 between 6th July and 22nd August.  None elsewhere.

female Lesser Common Rustic, North Elmham, 7th July 2019

male Lesser Common Rustics, North Elmham, 23rd July 2019

male Lesser Common Rustic, North Elmham, 26th July 2019

male Lesser Common Rustic, North Elmham, 17th July 2020

female Lesser Common Rustic, North Elmham, 4th August 2020

male Lesser Common Rustic, North Elmham, 7th August 2020

Common Rustic agg. Mesapamea secalis agg. - Undetermined examples recorded in the garden on 12 dates in 2019 with at least 17 individuals (but possibly a few more as not counted on 5 dates).  Also recorded on 3 nights next door, 2 at the meadow, about 10 at Hellesdon and 2 at Weybourne.   Only one undetermined in 2020, at home.


Next page: more Noctuidae

A burst of activity at the end of April

I left my last post part way through 29th April so to finish off that day I found a White Oak Midget Phyllonorycter harrisella at Ryburgh.  That night the home trap produced a little more than recent nights including 3 new for the year here: Garden Carpet, Swallow Prominent and Bright-line Brown-eye.  It wasn't exactly heaving though - the rest were just Lesser Swallow Prominent, Muslin Moth, Common Quaker, 6 Hebrew Characters and 3 Early Greys.

Garden Carpet, North Elmham, 29th April

Swallow Prominent, North Elmham, 29th April

Lesser Swallow Prominent (left) and the same Swallow Prominent (right), North Elmham, 29th April

Bright-line Brown-eye, North Elmham, 29th April

On Sunday 30th I had a look round Sparham Pools in the afternoon finding about 45 Green Long-horns Adela reaumurella lekking near the car park.  Further round I found a couple more Long-horns which, in the field, seemed much less green - more golden.  Not entirely sure which species they were I took them home for closer examination, but looking at them closely they both seemed greener than I'd thought and I began to consider the possibility that they were just reaumurella like the rest.  In the end I think this one was - it was a male and its antennae were well over 3x longer than the forewing length which should rule out cuprella, the genitalia resembled reaumurella (but althouth I think I can see differences in images of cuprella genitalia I'm not entirely clear what the criteria are).  It did have some reddish-purple reflections along the costa but these were minimal.  Other similar species in other genera seemed to be ruled out either by size or flight-time.  In this photo it looks quite typical for reaumurella to me.

Green Long-horn Adela reaumurella, Sparham Pools, 30th April

The other one, which was the first one I saw in the field and really struck me as being more golden-bronze coloured, I think was Early Long-horn Adela cuprella.  I'm used to seeing these lekking on Sallows and this was in low pathside vegetation, so I wasn't expecting this result, but I think there may be Sallows just the other side of the hedge.  This one had much clearer reddish-purple reflections along the costa and although I can't find any images of female cuprella genitalia to compare it to there do seem to be some differences from the images I have found for female reaumurella.  As before, other similar species in different genera are ruled out by size or time of year.

[Update - having seen another identical female moth in habitat unsuitable for Adela cuprella I am now of the opinion that this was more likely another Adela reaumurella.  The genitalia of my two moths were identical and although I still can't find images of cuprella to compare them to I think I can now account for what I had perceived as differences from the published images of reaumurella].

Long-horn sp. Adela sp., Sparham Pools, 30th April

The only other moth I saw was a Common Oak Purple Dyseriocrania subpurpurella (thanks to John G for spotting that one) but there was this lovely weevil, Phyllobius argentatus.

Phyllobius argentatus, Sparham Pools, 30th April

On Sunday evening this Bee Moth Aphomia sociella tried to get into church...

Bee Moth Aphomia sociella, Norwich, 30th April

That night trapping at home was probably the best night of the year so far with 10 new species for the year: Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana, Chinese Character, Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet, 2 Brimstone Moths, 3 Waved Umbers, Pale Prominent, Pale Tussock, 2 Flame Shoulders, Clouded-bordered Brindle and Nut-tree Tussock.  Actually that was more than the moths that weren't new for the year, which were White-triangle Slender Caloptilia stigmatella, Little Dwarf Elachista canapennella, Many-plumed Moth Alucita hexadactyla, Green Carpet, Brindled Pug, Oak-tree Pug, 2 Yellow-barred Brindles, Cinnabar and 2 Hebrew Characters.

Chinese Character, North Elmham, 30th April

Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet (male, gen det), North Elmham, 30th April

Waved Umber, North Elmham, 30th April

Pale Prominent, North Elmham, 30th April

Pale Tussock, North Elmham, 30th April

Flame Shoulder, North Elmham, 30th April

Clouded-bordered Brindle, North Elmham, 30th April

There were also a few caddisflies around - my first at home this year.  They comprised 3  Glyphotaelius pellucidus, Limnephilus auricula and Limnephilus sparsus.

 Glyphotaelius pellucidas (female above, male below), North Elmham, 30th April

Limnephilus auricula (male, gen det), North Elmham, 30th April

Limnephilus sparsus (female, gen det), North Elmham, 30th April