Review of 2019 and 2020 - Bugs: Plant bugs - part 6: Phylini I (Asciodema to Oncotylus)

PLANT BUGS (MIRIDAE) (continued)


Tribe PHYLINI


Asciodema obsoleta - Another new bug for me with singles caught in my garden moth trap on 26th June 2019 and on exactly the same date in 2020.  Also swept from Broom at the meadows on 19th July 2019.

Asciodema obsoleta, North Elmham, 26th June 2019

Asciodema obsoleta, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 19th July 2019

Atractotomus parvulus - Singles caught in the garden moth trap on 11th and 12th August 2020.  I'd recorded this species here once before, in 2018.  It's the only member of the genus that I've seen but I don't find the differences particularly obvious so have resorted to gen detting them to make sure (they've all been males).

Atractotomus parvulus, North Elmham, 12th August 2020 - showing its aedeagus in second photo

Compsidolon salicellum - 4 singles trapped in my garden moth trap between 23rd July and 21st August 2019 then singles on 13th and 19th August 2020.

Compsidolon salicellum, North Elmham, 28th July 2019

Compsidolon salicellum, North Elmham, 13th August 2020

Harpocera thoracica - One knocked out of Oak at the meadows on 8th May 2020.  None at home in 2019 or 2020 despite recording it here in 2017 and 2018.

Harpocera thoracica, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 8th May 2020

Macrotylus horvathi - Singles caught in my garden moth trap on 25th July 2019 and 31st July 2020 (following 3 in 2018).

Macrotylus horvathi, North Elmham, 25th July 2019

Macrotylus horvathi, North Elmham, 31st July 2020

Macrotylus paykulli - One swept from Restharrow at Brancaster on 2nd July 2020, the first time I've recorded this species.

Macrotylus paykulli, Brancaster, 2nd July 2020

Macrotylus solitarius - One caught in my garden moth trap on 23rd June 2020 (following 3 in 2017 but none in between).

Macrotylus solitarius, North Elmham, 23rd June 2020 (showing close-up of faded wing membranes to show shape of dark markings)

Megalocoleus molliculus - Just one caught in my garden moth trap in 2019 (on 26th July) and none in 2020 (I'd caught 3 here in 2018).

Megalocoleus molliculus, North Elmham, 26th July 2019

Oncotylus viridiflavus - I caught 12 of these in my garden moth trap over 4 nights between 23rd and 30th July 2019 (max. 5 on 25th).  Also one at Foxley Wood on 17th August.  This was a particularly good showing considering I'd never identified this species before, and as its reasonably distinctive I like to think I would have done had I trapped any over the previous year or two at least.  There were some more in 2020 but only 4 - between 24th and 31st July.

Oncotylus viridiflavus, North Elmham, 23rd July 2019

Oncotylus viridiflavus, North Elmham, 24th July 2020

Oncotylus viridiflavus, North Elmham, 30th July 2020

Next page: more Miridae

New bugs keep on coming, and a new moth for the garden

After 4 new bugs the previous day it was pretty impressive that I recorded another 5 new bugs in the moth trap on 27th July.  There were fewer moths (just 282 of 68 species and none new for the year) but the bugs made it a worthwhile catch.

The new bugs included Compsidolon salicellum and Psallus falleni. The other heteroptera were Birch Shieldbug and Megalocoleus molliculus, the latter my third this year of a species I recorded for the first time this year.

Compsidolon salicellum, North Elmham, 27th July

Psallus falleni, North Elmham, 27th July

Megalocoleus molliculus, North Elmham, 27th July

There were 3 leafhoppers, all Kybos spp.  Two were females and thus unidentifiable but the male eventually turned out to be Kybos strigilifer, my first ever confirmed example.

Kybos strigilifer (male), North Elmham, 27th July

There were also 2 psyllids, and both were new species for me.  One relatively big and obvious one was Psallus alni and the other was far trickier to identify but after much gazing down the microscope and at the keys I eventually concluded was Cacopsylla pulchra (update 28th Jan: but after examining a subsequent specimen I think I can see where I probably went wrong keying this - the subsequent individual, and probably this one too, was Cacopsylla brunneipennis).

Psallus alni, North Elmham, 27th July

probable Cacopsylla brunneipennis, North Elmham, 27th July

There was also an unprecedented influx of what I call greenfly.  I had assumed that there were a number of different species (and that I had no means of identifying them) but one source I've since found implies that they are all Rose Aphids.  As I didn't retain any I can't check that, but whatever there were there were literally hundreds of them in the trap.  I've never had anything like that before.

The micro moths were Hazel Slender Parornix devoniella, 2 Golden Argents Argyresthia goedartella, Grey Ermine Yponomeuta sedella, Little Ermine Swammerdamia pyrella, 3 Diamond-backs Plutella xylostella, Common Case-bearer Coleophora serratella, 4 Clover Case-bearers Coleophora alcyonipennella, Little Dwarf Elachista canapennella, 2 Small Dingy Tubics Borkhausenia fuscescens, Common Flat-body Agonopterix heracliana, 2 Brindled Flat-bodies Agonopterix arenella, Dark Neb Bryotropha affinis, Dull Red Neb Bryotropha senectella, 6 Dingy Dowds Blastobasis adustella, Common Yellow Conch Agapeta hamana, Knapweed Conch Agapeta zoegana, 2 Dark Fruit-tree Tortrixes Pandemis heparana, Privet Tortrix Clepsis consimilana, Light Brown Apple-moth Epiphyas postvittana, Red-barred Tortrix Ditula angustiorana, Maple Button Acleris forsskaleana, 2 Garden Rose Tortrixes Acleris variegana, 2 Barred Marbles Celypha striana, 3 Hoary Bells Eucosma cana, Red Piercer Lathronympha strigana, 2 Marbled Piercers Cydia splendana, 115 Straw Grass-veneers Agriphila straminella, 28 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, Pearl Grass-veneer Catoptria pinella, Chequered Grass-veneer Catoptria falsella, Small Grey Eudonia mercurella, Ringed China-mark Parapoynx stratiotata, 2 Garden Pebbles Evergestis forficalis, 2 Small Purple & Golds Pyrausta aurata, 10 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis and 2 Rosy Tabbies Endotricha flammealis.

Common Case-bearer Coleophora serratella (female, gen det), North Elmham, 27th July

Macros consisted of 2 Small Fan-footed Waves, 3 Single-dotted Waves, Riband Wave, Red Twin-spot Carpet, Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet, 3 Shaded Broad-bars, Common Carpet, Small Phoenix, Lime-speck Pug, Double-striped Pug, Canary-shouldered Thorn, Early Thorn, 8 Dingy Footmen, 5 Common Footmen, 2 Ruby Tigers, 2 Shuttle-shaped Darts, 11 Flame Shoulders, Least Yellow Underwing, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Clay, Smoky Wainscot, Copper Underwing, Straw Underwing, 3 Dun-bars, 2 Cloaked Minors, Lesser Common Rustic, 3 Uncertains, 2 Rustics, Nut-tree Tussock, Silver Y, Spectacle and 9 Straw Dots.

Other insects included the mayflies 2 Pond Olives Cloeon dipterum and 4 Pale Evening Duns Procloeon bifidum, the green lacewings Chrysoperla carnea (a confirmed male and 2 presumed females) and Dichochrysa flavifrons, the brown lacewings Hemerobius lutescens (new for the year) and 4 Micromus variegatus, the caddisflies 2 Hydropsyche siltalai, Mottled Sedge Glyphotaelius pellucidus and 7 Limnephilus auricula, 2 Bradycellus verbasci (beetles), 2 Harlequin Ladybirds, a Marmalade Fly Episyrphus balteatus and 2 Hornets.

Next day at the Cathedral Meadows Essex Skipper was the best of the butterflies.

Essex Skipper, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 28th July

Dragonflies included Banded Demoiselle and Common Darter.

Bamded Demoiselle, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 28th July

Common Darter, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 28th July

Moths were Maple Button Acleris forsskaleana, 3 Straw Grass-veneers Agriphila straminella, 2 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, 2 Pale Straw Pearls Udea lutealis and Yellow Shell.

There was a Blue-winged Olive Serratella ignita (a mayfly) and both Field and Meadow Grasshoppers.  There were 20 7-spot Ladybirds, 2 Marmalade Flies Episyrphus balteatus, a Common Wasp and a Garden Bumblebee.

Common Wasp, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 28th July

Garden Bumblebee, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 28th July

That night there were only 49 species of moth in the garden, but one of them was new for the garden, Waste Grass-veneer Pediasia contaminella, and another new for the year, Small Birch Bell Epinotia ramella.

Waste Grass-veneer Pediasia contaminella, North Elmham, 28th July

Small Birch Bell Epinotia ramella, North Elmham, 28th July

The other 47 were Bird’s-nest Moth Tinea trinotella, Clover Case-bearer Coleophora alcyonipennella, Little Dwarf Elachista canapennella, Common Flat-body Agonopterix heracliana, 2 Brindled Flat-bodies Agonopterix arenella, Cinerous Neb Bryotropha terrella, Orange Crest Helcystogramma rufescens, 5 Dingy Dowds Blastobasis adustella, Rush Marble Bactra lancealana, 2 Marbled Piercers Cydia splendana, Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteuchia culmella, 55 Straw Grass-veneers Agriphila straminella, 19 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, Chequered Grass-veneer Catoptria falsella, Small Grey Eudonia mercurella, Ringed China-mark Parapoynx stratiotata, Pale Straw Pearl Udea lutealis, 2 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, Rosy Tabby Endotricha flammealis, Beautiful Plume Amblyptilia acanthadactyla, 2 Common Plumes Emmelina monodactyla, 2 Single-dotted Waves, Small Scallop, 3 Riband Waves, 2 Red Twin-spot Carpets, 3 Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpets, 2 Shaded Broad-bars, 2 Magpie Moths, Scorched Carpet, Coxcomb Prominent, Yellow-tail, Common Footman, Buff Ermine, 2 Ruby Tigers, Turnip Moth, 2 Shuttle-shaped Darts, 2 Flame Shoulders, 3 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, Copper Underwing, Straw Underwing, Common Rustic, Lesser Common Rustic, Uncertain, 2 Rustics, Silver Y, 4 Straw Dots and Snout.

There wasn't much else apart from moths either: the mayfly Pond Olive Cloeon dipterum, the brown lacewing Micromus variegatus, the caddisflies 3 Limnephilus rhombicus, the mirid bug Lygus rugulipennis and a Hornet.