A 124 species night

19th July was another good night - the best of the year so far with 432 moths of 124 species.  Probably the best one was one of 5 species of Coleophora: Southern Case-bearer Coleophora badiipennella [ - or so I thought - see the update below].  They're tricky to identify even when looking at the genitalia, especially males.  Pretty sure this was one anyway - had a female last year which was marginally easier, so I know they're in the area.  Only 10 records in Norfolk, though I suspect that has more to do with the diffiiculty in confirming ID than their actual rarity.  I include a pic of the genitalia in case anyone wants to comment on the ID (the inset is the cornuti that came out of the aedeagus)...

[update 22nd September - well, I wasn't comfortable enough with this ID to record it formally without checking so sent the following pics to Jon Clifton and Jim Wheeler.  Jon thought it might be milvipennis but the situation with these two is very difficult not only because they are so alike but because the figures in MOGBI are apparently the wrong way round and consequently a lot of online images of their genitalia may well be misidentified.  Anyway, Jon forwarded them on to Jukka Tabell in Finland who is apparently an expert on these.  The response came back that it is indeed Buff Birch Case-bearer Coleophora milvipennis.  According to the NMS database this birch-feeding species is recorded a bit more frequently than the elm-feeding badiipennella, but from my perspective it's good news as milvipennis is a new species for me.

Buff Birch Case-bearer Coleophora milvipennis (male, gen det confirmed by Jukka Tabell (Finland) via J Clifton), North Elmham, 19th July

New for the garden and only the second time I've seen one anywhere was this Gold Pine Ermel Cedestis gysseleniella.

Gold Pine Ermel Cedestis gysseleniella, North Elmham, 19th July

Others new for the year were Golden Lance-wing Epermenia chaerophyllella, Hedge Case-bearer Coleophora striatipennella, Buff Cosmet Mompha ochraceella, Maple Button Acleris forsskaleana, Round-winged Drill Dichrorampha simpliciana, 2 Small Yellow Waves, 2 Ruby Tigers and one of the best macros of the night, Lunar-spotted Pinion.

Small Yellow Wave, North Elmham, 19th July

Maple Button Acleris forsskaleana, North Elmham, 19th July

Golden Lance-wing Epermenia chaerophyllella, North Elmham, 19th July

Round-winged Drill Dichrorampha simpliciella, North Elmham, 19th July

Hedge Case-bearer Coleophora striatipennella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 19th July

Great to see another Scarce Silver-lines and a slightly fresher Blue-bordered Carpet than yesterday's.

Scarce Silver-lines, North Elmham, 19th July

 Blue-bordered Carpet, North Elmham, 19th July

I dissected a Wormwood Pug to check it wasn't Currant as it seemed a bit small.  Currant Pug has very different genitalia and was easily ruled out on dissection, but the genitalia were an exact match for the diagram of Bleached Pug in Riley's Pugs book.  Bleached Pug hasn't occurred in Norfolk but sadly I don't think this was one - it was pretty worn but there were enough scales left to see it was a dark reddish-brown moth, quite unlike Bleached Pug.  Just goes to show that examining the genitalia doesn't always give you the right answers!

 Wormwood Pug (male), North Elmham, 19th July

Riley's Pug book shows Wormwood Pug as having hardly any indent in the top of the abdominal plate, but the majority of examples online show an indent, if not always as deep as on this individual:

 Wormwood Pug (abdominal plate), North Elmham, 19th July

The real difference between Wormwood and Bleached genitalia is supposed to be the form of this cornutus from the aedeagus.  On Wormwood there are supposed to be fewer projections round the outside and front face and long projection on the right hand side.  Bleached, on the other hand, is supposed to show projections round the edge and front just like this.  There may be a small projection on the right hand side - this was hard to see as it's a bit hidden below the folds of the vesica.  But they are evidently a bit variable and given the appearance of the forewings it must be a Wormwood Pug, unfortunately.

Wormwood Pug (cornutus in aedeagus), North Elmham, 19th July

Other macros were Ghost Moth, 2 Chinese Characters, Large Emerald, 2 Common Emeralds, Small Emerald, Small Blood-vein, 3 Lesser Cream Waves, 13 Small Fan-footed Waves, 8 Single-dotted Waves, 12 Riband Waves, Large Twin-spot Carpet, Yellow Shell, Phoenix, July Highflyer, 2 Green Pugs, Clouded Border, 2 Brimstone Moths, 3 Early Thorns, 4 Scalloped Oaks, 4 Swallow-tailed Moths, 2 Willow Beauties, Elephant Hawkmoth, 3 Yellow-tails, 4 Round-winged Muslins, 24 Rosy Footmen, 15 Dingy Footmen, Scarce Footman, Buff Footman, 28 Common Footmen, 3 Buff Ermines, 2 Large Yellow Underwings, 3 Double Square-spots, Bright-line Brown-eye, 2 Brown-line Bright-eyes, 2 Clays, 13 Smoky Wainscots, Marbled Beauty, Dun-bar, 3 Dark Arches, Common Rustic, Lesser Common Rustic (plus 2 Common Rustic aggs.), 21 Uncertains, Rustic, 2 Nut-tree Tussocks, Burnished Brass, 2 Spectacles, Beautiful Hook-tip, 2 Straw Dots, 6 Snouts, 2 Fan-foots and Small Fan-foot.

Other highlights among the micros included Hazel Slender Parornix devoniella, Dull Red Groundling Bryotropha senectella and Lesser Pearl Sitochroa verticalis.

Hazel Slender Parornix devoniella (female, gen det), North Elmham, 19th July

Dull Red Groundling Bryotropha senectella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 19th July

Lesser Pearl Sitochroa verticalis, North Elmham, 19th July

The Robinson's moth trap is round so casts a circular shadow round it, with a ring of light on the ground beyond the shadow.  In a circle round the trap along the inner edge of the light were Water Veneers.  Saw lots there in the evening but most had disappeared by the morning - perhaps burrowed into the grass out of sight rather than gone?  I counted 54 Water Veneers Acentria ephemerella but suspect there were far more in reality.

More than half the moth species were micros, the ones not yet mentioned being 4 Bird-cherry Ermines Yponomeuta evonymella, Little Ermel Swammerdamia pyrella, 12 Diamond-back Moths Plutella xylostella, 2 Woundwort Case-bearers Coleophora lineolea, White Sallow Case-bearer Coleophora albidella, 4 Grey Rush Case-bearers Coleophora glaucicolella, 2 Little Dwarfs Elachista canapennella, 2 Golden-brown Tubics Crassa unitella, 2 Long-horned Flat-bodies Carcina quercana, Common Groundling Teleiodes vulgella, Dark Groundling Bryotropha affinis, 3 Cinereous Groundlings Bryotropha terrella, Gorse Crest Brachmia blandella, Orange Crest Helcystogramma rufescens, 2 Bulrush Cosmets Limnaecia phragmitella, Hawthorn Cosmet Blastodacna hellerella, 2 Hook-marked Straw Moths Agapeta hamana, Burdock Conch Aethes rubigana, 3 Dark Fruit-tree Tortrixes Pandemis heparana, 4 Large Fruit-tree Tortrixes Archips podana, 5 Privet Tortrixes Clepsis consimilana, Red-barred Tortrix Ditula angustiorana, 2 Yellow-spot Tortrixes Pseudargyrotoza conwagana, 5 Grey Tortrixes Cnephasia stephensiana, 2 Flax Tortrixes Cnephasia asseclana, Light Grey Tortrix Cnephasia incertana, Yellow Oak Button Aleimma loeflingiana, Garden Rose Tortrix Acleris variegana, 3 Barred Marbles Celypha striana, 8 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Pine Marble Piniphila bifasciana, 4 Marbled Orchard Tortrixes Hedya nubiferana, 2 Triangle-marked Rollers Ancylis achatana, Holly Tortrix Rhopobota naevana, Common Cloaked Shoot Gypsonoma dealbana, Marbled Piercer Cydia splendana, Wainscot Veneer Chilo phragmitella, 6 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, Grass-veneer Crambus pascuella, 2 Pearl Veneers Agriphila straminella, 2 Chequered Grass-veneers Catoptria falsella, Pale Water-veneer Donacaula forficella, 3 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis, 6 Little Greys Eudonia lacustrata, 3 Small Greys Eudonia mercurella, Brown China-mark Elophila nymphaeata, Beautiful China-mark Nymphula nitidulata, 3 Chequered Straws Evergestis pallidata, Small Magpie Anania hortulata, 5 Elder Pearls Anania coronata, Fenland Pearl Anania perlucidalis, 2 Dusky Pearls Udea prunalis, 10 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, Grey Knot-horn Acrobasis advenella, Ermine Knot-horn Phycitodes binaevella and 3 White Plumes Pterophorus pentadactyla.

 Common Cloaked Shoot Gypsonoma dealbana, North Elmham, 19th July

Wainscot Veneer Chilo phragmitella, North Elmham, 19th July

Pale Water-veneer Donacaula forficella, North Elmham, 19th July

White Sallow Case-bearer Coleophora albidella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 19th July

Other insects included the Brown Lacewing Hemerobius humulinus.

Hemerobius humulinus, North Elmham, 19th July

Caddisflies included 6 Athripsodes aterrimus, Leptocerus tineiformis and 2 Mystacides longicornis.

The only other insect of note that day was a Small Tortroiseshell that flew in through my study window earlier in the day.

First century at home including five lifers

The moth trap was heaving on the morning after the night of 1st July.  Indeed there was plenty to look at all around the outside before I even started delving into the trap itself - 62 moths of 38 species before I opened the trap up!  Once I had gone through the trap that tally increased to 439 moths of 105 species (59 macros).

There were lots of goodies among them, macro and micro, but it was among the micros that all five of my lifers lay - an exceptionally high number of new moths for a trapping at home night.  Among the five were two very attractive tortrices, neither hugely rare.  The Cherry Bark Moth Enarmonia formosana was not the freshest individual and perhaps not as bright as they can be, but not too shabby either.  The Teasel Marble Endothenia gentianaeana is the commoner congener of the Downland Marble Endothenia oblongana I recorded back in May and the larger size of this gentianaeana was very apparent.

Cherry Bark Moth Enarmonia formosana, North Elmham, 1st July

Teasel Marble Endothenia gentianaeana, North Elmham, 1st July

Even more striking was this Dotted Ermel Ethmia dodecea - and a good record too.  Nearly all of the county's records are from the west of the county, along a line running between Holme and the Brecks.  There are just two dots on the map east of that line (both just in VC27).

Dotted Ermel Ethmia dodecea, North Elmham, 1st July

The rarest, or at least the most poorly-recorded, moth was Southern Case-bearer Coleophora badiipennella.  Jon had two records last year but prior to that there were just three county records, two of which were back in 1874.  It's one that needs the chop to confirm and males are difficult even then (fortunately this was a female) so it's undoubtedly under-recorded.  It's another Elm-feeder like the last decent moth I had (this Carpatolechia fugitivella).  Must work out where the nearest Elms are - I still need White-letter Hairstreak and they might be nearby!

Southern Case-bearer Coleophora badiipennella (female, gen det), North Elmham, 1st July

Much less unusual but still new for me were 2 Garden Cosmets Mompha subbistrigella.

 Garden Cosmet Mompha subbistrigella, North Elmham, 1st July

A couple of good migrants were among the macros: Pearly Underwing and Red-necked Footman.  At least the Footman may have been a migrant though there is a breeding population in Norfolk nowadays so we can't be sure.  Large numbers were being recorded at the coast around this time though, so I expect mine was a migrant.

Red-necked Footman, North Elmham, 1st July

Pearly Underwing, North Elmham, 1st July

Macros that were new for the year included Phoenix, 2 Freyer's Pugs and Lilac Beauty, while other notable macros were Maiden's Blush, Small Seraphim, Small Elephant Hawkmoth, Four-dotted Footman (my third this year!) and Light Brocade.

Lilac Beauty, North Elmham, 1st July

Phoenix, North Elmham, 1st July

Maiden's Blush, North Elmham, 1st July

Small Seraphim, North Elmham, 1st July

Small Elephant Hawkmoth, North Elmham, 1st July

Freyer's Pug, North Elmham, 1st July

Among the micros were 4 Monopis which I thought at first were my first Monopis obviella, a relatively frequently recorded moth that I'm yet to come across. Upon closer inspection though they proved to be the much rarer Pale-backed Clothes Moth Monopis crocicapitella, a species I recorded here last autumn.

Pale-backed Clothes Moth Monopis crocicapitella, North Elmham, 1st July

Lots of other micros were new for the year: Hawthorn Argent Argyresthia bonnetella, 4 Bird-cherry Ermines Yponomeuta evonymella, 4 Meadow Case-bearers Coleophora mayrella, Speckled Case-bearer Coleophora sternipennella (gen det), 2 Grey Rush Case-bearers Coleophora glaucicolella (gen det), 2 Golden-brown Tubics Crassa unitella, Small Dingy Tubic Borkhausenia fuscescens, London Dowd Blastobasis lacticolella, Buff Cosmet Mompha ochraceella, 2 Triangle-marked Rollers Ancylis achatana, Cock's-head Bell Zeiraphera isertana and Summer Rose Bell Notocelia roborana.

 Hawthorn Argent Argyresthia bonnetella, North Elmham, 1st July

Bird-cherry Ermine Yponomeuta evonymella, North Elmham, 1st July

Traingle-marked Roller Ancylis achatana, North Elmham, 1st July

Cock's-head Bell Zeiraphera isertana, North Elmham, 1st July

Summer Rose Bell Notocelia roborana, North Elmham, 1st July

Buff Cosmet Mompha ochraceella, North Elmham, 1st July

Golden-brown Tubic Crassa unitella, North Elmham, 1st July

Meadow Case-bearer Coleophora mayrella, North Elmham, 1st July

Speckled Case-bearer Coleophora sternipennella (female, gen det), North Elmham, 1st July

Grey Rush Case-bearer Coleophora glaucicolella (female, gen det), North Elmham, 1st July

Small Dingy Tubic Borkhausenia fuscescens, North Elmham, 1st July

Other micros were 3 Brown House-moths Hofmannophila pseudospretella, Burdock Neb Metzneria lappella, 5 Dark Groundlings Bryotropha affinis, 7 Hook-marked Straw Moths Agapeta hamana, 3 Barred Fruit-tree Tortrices Pandemis cerasana, 11 Large Fruit-tree Tortrices Archips podana, 7 Privet Tortrices Clepsis consimilana, 2 Light Brown Apple Moths Epiphyas postvittana, 3 Large Ivy Tortrices Lozotaenia forsterana, Hedge Shade Isotrias rectifasciana, 5 Barred Marbles Celypha striana, 6 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, 6 Marbled Orchard Tortrices Hedya nubiferana, 5 Triple-blotched Bells Notocelia trimaculana, Hoary Bell Eucosma cana, Codling Moth Cydia pomonella, 45 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, 2 Chequered Grass-veneers Catoptria falsella, 9 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis, Marsh Grey Eudonia pallida, 25 Little Greys Eudonia lacustrata, 5 Small Greys Eudonia mercurella, 2 Brown China-marks Elophila nymphaeata, 4 Small Magpies Eurrhypara hortulata, 3 Elder Pearls Anania coronata, 6 Bee Moths Aphomia sociella, Beautiful Knot-horn Rhodophaea formosa and White Plume Pterophorus pentadactyla.

Beautiful Knot-horn Rhodophaea formosa, North Elmham, 1st July

Dark Groundling Bryotropha affinis, North Elmham, 1st July

Finally the remainder of the macros were 6 Dwarf Cream Waves, Small Dusty Wave, 3 Single-dotted Waves, 13 Treble Brown Spots, 15 Riband Waves, Silver-ground Carpet, 5 Barred Straws, Green Carpet, Sandy Carpet, Mottled Pug, 4 Common Pugs, 5 Green Pugs, Clouded Border, 9 Brimstone Moths, 7 Swallow-tailed Moths, 3 Mottled Beauties, 3 Common White Waves, 2 Common Waves, Clouded Silver, Light Emerald, Privet Hawkmoth, Buff-tip, 4 Common Footmen, Buff Ermine, 5 Heart and Clubs, 7 Heart and Darts, 2 Flames, 2 Flame Shoulders, Large Yellow Underwing, 4 Ingrailed Clays, 13 Double Square-spots, Clay, Common Wainscot, Shoulder-striped Wainscot, Rustic Shoulder-knot, 3 Brown Rustics, 2 Dark Arches, 3 Tawny Marbled Minors (gen det), 12 Middle-barred Minors, 2 Treble Lines, 21 Uncertains, 11 Mottled Rustics, 3 Marbled White Spots, 5 Burnished Brass, 8 Beautiful Hook-tips, 14 Straw Dots, 9 Snouts, 3 Fan-foots and 2 Small Fan-foots.

Tanwy Marbled Minor (female, gen det), North Elmham, 1st July

Non-lepidopteran interest was there too, though I ddn't have time to look at everything too closely.  Two bugs I looked at, one identified (Stenotus binotatus) and one not yet identified and two beetles, one identified (Nicrophorus investigator) and one not yet identified.

Stenotus binotatus, North Elmham, 1st July

unidentified bug, North Elmham, 1st July

Nicrophorus investigator, North Elmham, 1st July

unidentified beetle, North Elmham, 1st July

Finally this toad has been kicking around the trap recently - finally got a pic of him (or her) mid-leap.

Common Toad, North Elmham, 1st July