Review of 2019 and 2020 - Moths: Poplar and Pine Cosmets (Batrachedridae) and Case-bearers (Coleophoridae) (Part 1)

POPLAR & PINE COSMETS (BATRACHEDRIDAE)


Poplar Cosmet Batrachedra praeangusta - 2 in my garden trap on 23rd July 2019 and one on 29th July 2020.  Also one at Swanton Great Wood on 27th August 2019.  I had never seen this species until 2018 when I recorded 3 at home and one elsewhere - is this species suddenly increasing, or has it just enjoyed a couple of good years, or is it just coincidence?

Poplar Cosmet Batrachedra praeangusta, North Elmham, 29th July 2020

Pine Cosmet Batrachedra pinicolella - One in the garden on 24th June 2020.  This species has seen a massive upsurge in records in recent years starting with one at my old house in 2013, the first county record for 129 years!  I caught them here in North Elmham in 2015, 2016 and 3 times in 2017 but although records across the county continued to increase I then had a couple of blank years in 2018-19.

Pine Cosmet Batrachedra pinicolella, North Elmham, 24th June 2020

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CASE-BEARERS (COLEOPHORIDAE)

4 new species for the garden in 2019 (including one that was completely new for me) and another completely new one in 2020 brought my garden Coleophora list up to 43.


Silver-streaked Case-bearer Coleophora limoniella - None in 2019 but 20 swept from a single Sea Lavendar plant at Brancaster on 2nd July 2020.  One at home in 2018 was quite unexpected given that this saltmarsh species hadn't turned up inland in Norfolk prior to that year.  I don't expect a repeat anytime soon.


Common Oak Case-bearer Coleophora lutipennella - 3 in my garden trap between 10th and 22nd July 2019, a slightly below average year for this species, and then 4 between 29th June and 6th August 2020.  Also 3 at the meadows (26th July 2019 and 18th July and 7th August 2020) and one at Bintree Wood.  These are always dissected to confirm ID - I'm yet to find any features that are even indicative of this species rather than the similarly common flavipennella.

male Common Oak Case-bearer Coleophora lutipennella, North Elmham, 10th July 2019

male Common Oak Case-bearer Coleophora lutipennella, North Elmham, 29th June 2020

female Common Oak Case-bearer Coleophora lutipennella, North Elmham, 6th August 2020

Rose Case-bearer Coleophora gryphipennella - None.  I've only had one of these here (and anywhere) so far, in 2018.


Tipped Oak Case-bearer Coleophora flavipennella - One at the meadows on 7th July 2019 followed by 5 in the garden trap between 8th and 22nd July and then another 5 in 2020, between 16th June and 7th July.  Fairly typical years for this species which seems to be a little bit commoner than lutipennella (from which separation requires gen detting).

male Tipped Oak Case-bearer Coleophora flavipennella , North Elmham, 20th July 2019

male Tipped Oak Case-bearer Coleophora flavipennella , North Elmham, 16th June 2020

male Tipped Oak Case-bearer Coleophora flavipennella , North Elmham, 22nd June 2020

Buff Birch Case-bearer Coleophora milvipennis - None.  I've had just one record of this species here, in 2016.  It's tricky species to identify even with reference to the genitalia - my 2016 record required input from an international expert to confirm.


Pale Elm Case-bearer Coleophora badiipennella - None.  I've only had one of these here too, in 2015.


Dark Elm Case-bearer Coleophora limosipennella - None.  One of the more widespread and well-recorded Coleophora that I've not yet recorded.


Blackthorn Case-bearer Coleophora coracipennella - A female caught here on 23rd July 2019, my second record following one in 2017.  None in 2020.  Described as rare, although there have been a few recent records so I suspect it's more a case of being under-recorded.

female Blackthorn Case-bearer Coleophora coracipennella, North Elmham, 23rd July 2019

Common Case-bearer Coleophora serratella - Adults trapped at home on 23rd July 2019 and 26th and 31st July 2020.  Cases found at the meadows on Downy Birch on 26th April 2019 and Rough Chervil on 3rd June 2020, the latter causing me an ID challenge as Rough Chervil doesn't have any Coleophora listed as occurring on it, but thanks to Keith and Rob who pointed out that some Coleophora (especially this one) wander from their foodplants in order to pupate.  Although this is supposed to be the commonest of all the Coleophora I didn't find my first until 2018 (when I caught 4, including 3 here).

occupied case of Common Case-bearer Coleophora serratella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 26th April 2019

female Common Case-bearer Coleophora serratella, North Elmham, 23rd July 2019

case of Common Case-bearer Coleophora serratella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd June 2020

male Common Case-bearer Coleophora serratella, North Elmham, 26th July 2020

female Common Case-bearer Coleophora serratella, North Elmham, 31st July 2020

Apple & Plum Case-bearer Coleophora spinella - 4 trapped at home between 12th and 23rd July 2019 and 3 between 3rd and 17th July 2020.  4 is the most I've had here in a year - 2 is more typical.  Also a case that I think was probably this species on Hawthorn at the meadows on 15th May 2019.

probable case of Apple & Plum Case-bearer Coleophora spinella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 15th May 2019

female Apple & Plum Case-bearer Coleophora spinella, North Elmham, 12th July 2019

female Apple & Plum Case-bearer Coleophora spinella, North Elmham, 3rd July 2020

male Apple & Plum Case-bearer Coleophora spinella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 13th July 2020

Scarce Thorn Case-bearer Coleophora trigeminella - None.  I had 2 here on one night in 2017, the year I recorded Norfolk's second, third, fourth and fifth records of this species.  There have been others since so a repeat wouldn't be altogether unexpected.


Osier Case-bearer Coleophora lusciniaepennella - One caught at home on 23rd June 2019 and one at Weybourne on 5th July.  None in 2020.  I've had 3 previous records here (2015 and 2017).

female Osier Case-bearer Coleophora lusciniaepennella, Weybourne, 5th July 2019

Violet Case-bearer Coleophora violacea - None.  Although there aren't large numbers of records of this species it must be fairly high up on the list of next most likely candidates to be added to my Coleophora list.


Shaded Case-bearer Coleophora potentillae - None.  Another one that I haven't seen yet but must have a good chance of cropping up here.  So far the nearest I've got is seeing its feeding signs.


Next page: more Coleophora

Scallop Shell and my 44th Coleophora

I see a lot of exciting moths but every now and then I come across something that really heart-stoppingly fantastic, and on the night of Sunday 23rd June I had such a moth.  It's long been high on my wishlist and it's a remarkable-looking moth, if not a hugely rare one.  So when I was nearly finishing emptying the moth trap and turned over the last eggbox to see one sitting there, I had one of those moments - my heart leapt!  Technically I'd seen one before, but on that occasion I just saw a moth fly past which someone else managed to get a better look at to identify it - on my views it could have been anything.  That experience had made me want to see one properly even more - and now I had one, in my own garden.  It was a Scallop Shell.  What a moth!

Scallop Shell, North Elmham, 23rd June

I'd seen 43 species of Case-bearer Coleophora in Norfolk including 36 in my garden, but I had never seen the one that is supposed to be the commonest, Common Case-bearer Coleophora serratella.  On the night of 22nd June I found a candidate for this species - its external appearance was a good match - would I at last fill this glaring gap?  Well no, for on dissection it turned out to be the other species that is very similar, only much rarer, Blackthorn Case-bearer Coleophora coracipennella - my 44th Coleophora, but I am still missing the really common one!  This appears to be just the 10th record in Norfolk.

Blackthorn Case-bearer Coleophora coracipennella (female, gen det), North Elmham, 23rd June

Two more moths were new for the house: Oak Carl Tischeria ekebladella and the rather scarce Brown Oak Tortrix Archips crataegana (my first for five years).

Oak Carl Tischeria ekebladella, North Elmham, 23rd June

Brown Oak Tortrix Archips crataegana, North Elmham, 23rd June

Pale-backed Clothes Moth Monopis crocicapitella, Holly Tortrix Rhopobota naevana, Scarce Footman, 3 Buff Footmen and Mere Wainscot were all new for the year here.

Pale-backed Clothes Moth Monopis crocicapitella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 23rd June

Holly Tortrix Rhopobota naevana, North Elmham, 23rd June

Scarce Footman, North Elmham, 23rd June

Buff Footman, North Elmham, 23rd June

Mere Wainscot, North Elmham, 23rd June

Other moths were Bird’s-nest Moth Tinea trinotella, 2 Bird-cherry Ermines Yponomeuta evonymella, Diamond-back Moth Plutella xylostella, Burdock Neb Metzneria lappella, Garden Cosmet Mompha subbistrigella, Hook-marked Straw Moth Agapeta hamana, 4 Large Fruit-tree Tortrixes Archips podana, Privet Tortrix Clepsis consimilana, Large Ivy Tortrix Lozotaenia forsterana, Light Grey Tortrix Cnephasia incertana, 3 Barred Marbles Celypha striana, 8 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Marbled Orchard Tortrix Hedya nubiferana, 3 Triangle-marked Rollers Ancylis achatana, 2 Black-brindled Bells Epinotia signatana, Triple-blotched Bell Notocelia trimaculana, 16 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, Grass-veneer Crambus pascuella, Hook-streaked Grass-Veneer Crambus lathoniellus, 12 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis, 7 Little Greys Eudonia lacustrata, Small Grey Eudonia mercurella, Ringed China-mark Parapoynx stratiotata, 10 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, Elder Pearl Anania coronata, Rosy Tabby Endotricha flammealis, False Cacao Moth Ephestia unicolorella, White Plume Pterophorus pentadactyla, Drinker, 2 Buff Arches, Large Emerald, 2 Common Emeralds, Small Emerald, 5 Small Fan-footed Waves, 2 Dwarf Cream Waves, 9 Single-dotted Waves, 6 Treble Brown Spots, 24 Riband Waves, Large Twin-spot Carpet, 3 Common Carpets, 7 Barred Straws, Lime-speck Pug, Common Pug, Green Pug, 2 Clouded Borders, Brimstone Moth, Early Thorn, 3 Swallow-tailed Moths, Peppered Moth, 4 Willow Beauties, 5 Mottled Beauties, Pale Oak Beauty, Engrailed, 4 Common White Waves, 8 Clouded Silvers, Poplar Hawk-moth, 4 Elephant Hawk-moths, Coxcomb Prominent, Pale Prominent, 2 Rosy Footmen, 3 Dingy Footmen, 4 Common Footmen, 2 Buff Ermines, 2 Short-cloaked Moths, Heart and Club, Heart and Dart, 5 Flames, Ingrailed Clay, Setaceous Hebrew Character, 2 Double Square-spots, Bright-line Brown-eye, Small Angle Shades, 6 Dark Arches, 15 Uncertains, 3 Mottled Rustics, Marbled White Spot, 4 Beautiful Hook-tips, 2 Straw Dots, 6 Snouts, 2 Fan-foots and 2 Small Fan-foots.

Black-brindled Bell Epinotia signatana (male, gen det), North Elmham, 23rd June

Heart and Club, North Elmham, 23rd June

The soldier beetle Rhagonycha fulva was the first I've identified at home.

Rhagonycha fulva, North Elmham, 23rd June

Other insects included the brown lacewing Hemerobius humulinus, the caddisfly Hydropsyche pellucidula and three bugs: Phylus coryli which I first identified only a few nights earlier, Stenotus binotatus and Common Froghopper Philaenus spumarius which was new for the year.

Phylus coryli, North Elmham, 23rd June