Review of 2019 and 2020 - Moths: Case-bearers (Coleophoridae) (Part 3)

CASE-BEARERS (COLEOPHORIDAE) continued


Pistol Case-bearer Coleophora anatipennella - None.  I had 2 of these at home in 2018 but may have overlooked others as these are rather difficult to separate even with reference to the genitalia.


White Sallow Case-bearer Coleophora albidella - Caught in the garden on 13th and 19th June 2020.  2019 was my first blank year for what is usually my commonest white Coleophora.

male White Sallow Case-bearer Coleophora albidella, North Elmham, 19th June 2020

White Oak Case-bearer Coleophora kuehnella - None.  I've not recorded this species locally yet but it's quite widespread so must be a possibility.


Forest Case-bearer Coleophora ibipennella - An occupied case at the meadows on an Oak leaf on 6th June 2019.  I took this home and the adult emerged from it on 27th June.  Also 1-2 trapped at home, one on 17th July 2019 that I'm not going to record (I'd pretty confidently reached the ID but in trying to get the genitalia to lie flat I ended up damaging it such that I couldn't quite be 100% sure) and one on 24th July.  I've only recorded this species here once before (2016).  None in 2020.

occupied case of Forest Case-bearer Coleophora ibipennella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 6th June 2019

male Forest Case-bearer Coleophora ibipennella, 27th June 2019, emerged from case collected from North Elmham Cathedral Meadows on 6th June 2019

White Birch Case-bearer Coleophora betulella - One caught at home on 10th July 2019.  I first recorded this species here in 2018, and after failing to record albidella in 2019 I started to wonder if I may have misidentified this species as albidella in the past.  However with this in mind I took extra care in 2020 and only recorded albidella (and no betulella) then, so perhaps my fears were unfounded.  The differences in genitalia between some of these white Coleophora are pretty subtle to say the least.

male White Birch Case-bearer Coleophora betulella, North Elmham, 10th July 2019

Knapweed Case-bearer Coleophora conspicuella - None.  I've never caught this species, which isn't surprising as it had never been recorded in Norfolk until 2020.  Dave Norgate caught a large and distinctive Coleophora in his garden in Toftwood on 5th July and asked me to have a look at it.  I didn't recognise it at all but eventually figured out it was either vibicigerella, conspicuella or vibicella, none of which had been recorded in Norfolk before.  With a 21mm wingspan the size was within range for vibicella but far too big for the other two (max 17.5mm and 14mm according to the literature), however I wasn't convinced it was vibicella so agreed to gen det it.  It proved to be a female conspicuella, a species that was recorded in Suffolk for the first time in 2019 (as a larva, with an adult caught at the same location in 2020).  An absolute BEAST!

female Knapweed Case-bearer Coleophora conspicuella, caught by Dave Norgate at Toftwood (Dereham) on 5th July 2020

Downland Case-bearer Coleophora lixella - None.  I've caught this species here once, in 2015.


Gorse Case-bearer Coleophora albicosta - One in the garden trap on 25th May 2019 was a new moth for the garden, but followed by 2 more in 2020 (on 17th and 21st May).  Also on 21st May 2020, one caught at Hills and Holes.

female Gorse Case-bearer Coleophora albicosta, North Elmham, 25th May 2019

Gorse Case-bearer Coleophora albicosta, North Elmham, 17th May 2020

female Gorse Case-bearer Coleophora albicosta, Hills and Holes, 21st May 2020

Larch Case-bearer Coleophora laricella - None in 2019 but one caught in the garden on 12th June 2020 and another at Bintree Wood the following night.  I've caught this species here 3 times previously, in 2015 and 2017.

male Larch Case-bearer Coleophora laricella, North Elmham, 12th June 2020

male Larch Case-bearer Coleophora laricella, Bintree Wood, 13th June 2020

Next page: more Coleophora

First decent moth-trapping session at the meadows

I returned to the Cathedral Meadows at dusk on Friday 25th and set up two lights. There was quite a good variety of species - 61 species in the end.  Most of them were fairly much expected but a rather tatty Common Roller Ancylis badiana was a surprise.  Despite its common name this speceis certainly isn't common in Norfolk away from the Brecks (actually away from a fairly small section of the eastern side of the Brecks).

Common Roller Ancylis badiana, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May

Other micros consisted of Carrion Moth Monopis weaverella, Bird’s-nest Moth Tinea trinotella, Little Ermine Swammerdamia pyrella, 3 Diamond-backs Plutella xylostella, Clover Case-bearer Coleophora alcyonipennella, 4 Gorse Case-bearers Coleophora albicosta, 2 Triple-spot Dwarfs Elachista maculicerusella, Straw Conch Cochylimorpha straminea, 2 Chamomile Conches Cochylidia implicitana, Dark-barred Tortrix Syndemis musculana, 5 Rush Marbles Bactra lancealana, Grey Gorse Piercer Cydia ulicetana, 2 Pea Moths Cydia nigricana, Hook-streak Grass-veneer Crambus lathoniellus, Ringed China-mark Parapoynx stratiotata, Garden Pebble Evergestis forficalis and Bee Moth Aphomia sociella.

Clover Case-bearer Coleophora alcyonipennella (female, gen det), North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May

Gorse Case-bearers Coleophora albicosta, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May

Triple-spot Dwarf Elachista maculicerusella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May

Straw Conch Cochylimorpha straminea, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May

Chamomile Conch Cochylidia implicitana, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May

Dark-barred Tortrix Syndemis musculana, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May

The 43 species of macro moth were 2 Pebble Hook-tips, Chinese Character, Blood-vein, Red Twin-spot Carpet, 2 Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpets, Silver-ground Carpet, 2 Common Carpets, 2 Small Phoenixes, Common Marbled Carpet, Grey Pine Carpet, 8 Green Carpets, Rivulet, Sandy Carpet, 2 Mottled Pugs, Lime-speck Pug, Common Pug, Oak-tree Pug, 2 Brown Silver-lines, 4 Scorched Wings, 2 Brimstone Moths, Scalloped Hazel, Pale Oak Beauty, 3 White-pinion Spotteds, 2 Clouded Silvers, Lime Hawk-moth, Eyed Hawk-moth, Elephant Hawk-moth, Iron Prominent, Pebble Prominent, Swallow Prominent, Pale Prominent, 2 Marbled Browns, 6 Pale Tussocks, 9 White Ermines, 2 Heart and Darts, 5 Shuttle-shaped Darts, 2 Flames, 6 Flame Shoulders, 6 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, White-point, Common Wainscot, Rustic Shoulder-knot and 2 Spectacles.

Blood-vein, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May

Small Phoenix, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May

Lime-speck Pug, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May

Scorched Wing, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May

Lime Hawk-moth, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May

Eyed Hawk-moth, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May

Elephant Hawk-moth, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May

Pale Prominent, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May

Pale Tussock, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May

White Ermine, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May

White-point, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May

There were also 5 species of caddisfly: Hydropsyche pellucidula, Phryganea bipunctata, Mottled Sedge Glyphotaelius pellucidus, 2 Limnephilus auricula and Limnephilus sparsus.

The only bug was a new species for me, and a striking one too, even if its name doesn't exactly roll off the tongue: Dryophilocoris flavoquadrimaculatus.

Dryophilocoris flavoquadrimaculatus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May

There were 3 Cockchafers and this Denticollis linearis which was another new species for me.

Denticollis linearis, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May

I haven't yet managed to put a name to this caterpillar or this grasshopper nymph (please let me know if you can).

unidentified caterpillar, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May

unidentified grasshopper nymph, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May

Aspilatpteryx

Went dusking on the patch this evening after work.  Caught a few moths, though not as many as I'd have liked.

The first site had Dark-barred Tortrix Syndemis musculana and Sandy Carpet.

Sandy Carpet, near Bittering, 21st May

I'm pretty sure I managed to put a name to a fly like this in the past, but whether I did or not, I can't now...

unidentified fly, near Bittering, 21st May

Next site scored with Large Long-horn Nematopogon swammerdamella - my sixth this year - are they having a good year or have I just been lucky?  Also a caterpillar crawling up a Copper Beach tree - like the last one this looks a bit like Dun-bar to me but I would appreciate confirmation or otherwise.
 

unidentified caterpillar, possibly Dun-bar?, Bittering, 21st May

Finally Creaking Gate Lake produced a bit more, starting with only my third ever Ribwort Slender Aspilapteryx tringipennella.

Ribwort Slender Aspilapteryx tringipennella, Creaking Gate Lake, 21st May

Also here were Gorse Case-bearer Coleophora albicosta, Chinese Character, Silver-ground Carpet and Green Carpet.

 Gorse Case-bearer Ceolophora albicosta, Creaking Gate Lake, 21st May