Review of 2019 and 2020 - Moths: Geometers (Geometridae) - part 7: Pugs II (Eupithecia II)

GEOMETERS (GEOMETRIDAE) (continued)


Brindled Pug Eupithecia abbreviata - Totals of 9 between 30th March and 26th May 2019 (the last being my latest ever) and 13 between 9th April and 8th May 2020.  This compares with an average here of 12-13 a year.  Elsewhere 4 at the meadows, one at Sculthorpe Moor, one at Cranwich Heath and 4 in the Lake District (Keswick and Borrowdale).

Brindled Pug, North Elmham, 30th March 2019

male Brindled Pug, North Elmham, 26th May 2019

Brindled Pug, Cranwich Heath, 14th March 2020

Oak-tree Pug Eupithecia dodoneata - One in the garden trap on 16th May 2019.  None in 2020.  I've had a blank year here before (2018) but apart from these and 5 in 2017, it's been one a year every other year.

male Oak-tree Pug, North Elmham, 16th May 2019

Juniper Pug Eupithecia pusillata - None.  I've only ever had one here, in 2015 (and before that 2 at my last house in Bawdeswell in 2012).


Cypress Pug Eupithecia phoeniceata - None.  One in my garden in 2016 was only the 5th county record but this species is increasing so there must be a fair chance of catching another.  However the neighbour's big leylandii hedge that was there in 2016 has now been chopped down (no bad thing) so that will reduce my chances of a repeat any time soon.


White-spotted Pug Eupithecia tripunctaria - One in the garden trap on 7th August 2019.  This was my fourth record here with singles in 2015, 2016 and 2017.  This one was very worn and needed an intimate examination to ensure the ID was correct (in fact I don't think I even suspected it before I'd caught sight of her bits).  None in 2020.

female White-spotted Pug, North Elmham, 7th August 2019

Golden-rod Pug Eupithecia virgaureata - My first example of this moth was trapped at our holiday accommodation in Carsaig on Mull on 13th June 2019.  It was too worn to positively ID without dissection although I thought it was going to turn out to be something interesting.  This species does occur in Norfolk but is pretty rare except at one or two sites in the north west of the county.

female Golden-rod Pug, Carsaig (Mull), 13th June 2019

Dwarf Pug Eupithecia tantillaria - I'd seen 7 Dwarf Pugs at 4 locations between 2012 and 2014 but hadn't seen any more anywhere since moving here in 2014, so it was a nice surprise to find one in my garden trap on 21st May 2020.  I still have no idea what possessed someone to call this relatively large pug a Dwarf Pug.

male Dwarf Pug, North Elmham, 21st May 2020

Larch Pug Eupithecia lariciata - One at Ceann Chnocain on Mull on 13th June was my first ever (and was another worn pug that required gen detting to resolve).  Although scarce in Norfolk there are a few records quite close to me so hopefully I'll get one here sometime.  I'm not sure that there are any larches in the immediate vicinity though, so that won't help me get one in my garden.

female Larch Pug, Ceann Chnocain (Mull), 13th June 2019

Plain Pug Eupithecia simpliciata - 2019 and 2020 were quite good years for this species and I took the opportunity to record my first ever, trapped in my garden on 24th July 2019, swiftly followed by one at the meadows two nights later (which I actually identified before the one in my garden), and then another in my garden on 4th August 2020.  These are the first records for my 10km square - it's normally quite a scarce moth although there are widespread records across the county.  Of all the pugs that could be called plain, this is quite low down on the list - bit like the Dwarf Pug that isn't dwarf.

Plain Pug, North Elmham, 24th July 2019

Plain Pug, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 26th July 2019

Plain Pug, North Elmham, 4th August 2020

Narrow-winged Pug Eupithecia nanata - None.  I've had singles here in 2015, 2016 and 2017 but not since.  It's common enough on heaths but seems relatively hard to find in other habitats.


Angle-barred Pug Eupithecia innotata - I've never found this species in Norfolk but I caught my first one overnight on 13th June 2019 while staying at Carsaig on Mull.  With plenty of its foodplants growing at the meadows and a scattering of records in mid Norfolk I hope to find this species locally before too long.

female Angle-barred Pug, Carsaig (Mull), 13th June 2019

Ochreous Pug Eupithecia indigata - Singles caught at home on 16th May 2019 and 21st May 2020, the first times I've caught this species here.  Also one at the meadows on 25th May 2019 and singles at Frost's Common and Hills and Holes on 21st May 2020.

Ochreous Pug, North Elmham, 16th May 2019

Ochreous Pug, North Elmham, 21st May 2020

Thyme Pug Eupithecia distinctaria - The first of 4 pug lifers I caught on Mull, and at least in the sense that this isn't a Norfolk species, the best of the 4.  I caught this one at the place we were staying at Carsaig on 10th June 2019.

female Thyme Pug, Carsaig (Mull), 10th June 2019

Lime-speck Pug Eupithecia centaureata - In 2019 singles recorded in the garden on 28th and 29th May and then on 4 dates between 4th and 27th August.  I average over 11 a year here so 6 wasn't a great showing but 2020 made up for it with one on 17th June and 20 between 4th and 27th August.  These included 5 on 8th August and 3 counts of 3 - I'd not had more than 2 in a night here before.  Elsewhere 3 at the meadows on 25th May 2019, one there on 3rd September 2019, and singles at Hellesdon, Hills and Holes and Brancaster.

Lime-speck Pug, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May 2019

Pinion-spotted Pug Eupithecia insigniata - None.  I've never seen this species and although there are a few records away from the main parts of its Norfolk range (Brecks and NW Norfolk) there aren't any from round here so perhaps not very likely to turn up here.


Triple-spotted Pug Eupithecia trisignaria - None.  I caught a couple here in 2016 but none in other years.


Freyer's Pug Eupithecia intricata - Singles in the garden here on 24th and 29th June 2019 and 4 between 8th and 26th June 2020.  This species isn't quite annual here but about 2 a year is average.  This is one of a handful of moths that I used to record far more frequently at my old house in Bawdeswell, although looking at NorfolkMoths it looks like my time here coincided with a couple of exceptionally good years for the species generally.

Freyer's Pug, North Elmham, 6th June 2020

Satyr Pug Eupithecia satyrata - None in the garden which was a bit disappointing after catching 4 of these over the previous 3 years.  Elsewhere I tentatively identified a caterpillar on Fleabane at Foxley Wood as this species, but reading the new caterpillars book now I'm not sure if this is a safe ID (comments welcome!).

possible Satyr Pug caterpillar, Foxley Wood, 17th August 2019

Wormwood Pug Eupithecia absinthiata - One caught in the garden on 19th July 2019 and 3 between 8th and 29th July 2020.  I had been averaging 7 a year so these were poor years.  I find this species much harder than some people seem to think it is to separate from some Currant Pugs as size overlaps and none of the supposed differences in pattern (e.g. prominence of dark spots or band at base of abdomen) seem to be reliable.  Wing shape seems can be the best feature to use but this can be confusing and I've had lots that have looked one way at first and the other way on second look.  On occasion I find really clear examples and sometimes I make do with measuring their wing length but more often I resort to checking genitalia (as I did with all 4 of these).

male Wormwood Pug, North Elmham, 19th July 2019

female Wormwood Pug, North Elmham, 8th July 2020

female Wormwood Pug, North Elmham, 24th July 2020

female Wormwood Pug, North Elmham, 29th July 2020

Valerian Pug Eupithecia valerianata - None.  I've never caught this species here and there aren't any records for my 10km square but although it's not common, there are widespread enough records to make me think I could get it here sometime.


Currant Pug Eupithecia assimilata - 5 caught in my garden between 16th July and 26th August 2019 and 7 between 8th May and 22nd August 2020.  These were poor years - I've averaged 15 a year here.  Elsewhere one on Mull on 13th June 2019.  I record a slightly higher proportion of these without gen det compared to Wormwood Pug but I check a few every year.

male Currant Pug, North Elmham, 26th August 2019

male Currant Pug, North Elmham, 8th May 2020

male Currant Pug, North Elmham, 10th August 2020

male Currant Pug, North Elmham, 12th August 2020

male Currant Pug, North Elmham, 16th August 2020

Next page: more Geometridae

A distinctive new beetle, Anthocomus fasciatus

The night of Wednesday 9th May wasn't anywhere near as good as the previous night but there were a few nice things.  New moths for the year included Common Mompha Mompha epilobiella, 2 Currant Pugs and Pale Prominent.

Common Mompha Mompha epilobiella, North Elmham, 9th May

Currant Pug, North Elmham, 9th May

Pale Prominent, North Elmham, 9th May

Other moths were Hazel Slender Parornix devoniella, Little Ermel Swammerdamia pyrella, 2 Little Dwarfs Elachista canapennella, Many-plumed Moth Alucita hexadactyla, Chinese Character, 2 Common Pugs, Brindled Pug, Double-striped Pug, Purple Thorn, Waved Umber, Lesser Swallow Prominent, 3 Chocolate-tips, 3 Muslin Moths, Cinnabar, Clouded Drab, 2 Hebrew Characters and 2 Nut-tree Tussocks.

A few other nice bits and pieces in the trap including the caddisfly Rhyacophila dorsalis (not so common here - only 3 last year), Black Sexton Beetle, a very striking red-and-black Anthocomus fasciatus (a completely new species of beetle for me), the bug Harpocera thoracica (new for the year), the hoverfly Melanostoma scalare and the ant Lasius niger.

Rhyacophila dorsalis, North Elmham, 9th May

Anthocomus fasciatus, North Elmham, 9th May

Harpocera thoracica, North Elmham, 9th May

Next day I dropped something off at the allotments and found this Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet.

Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet (male, gen det), North Elmham allotments, 10th May

Not many moths in the trap that night: just Coxcomb Prominent, 3 Muslin Moths, Hebrew Character and Nut-tree Tussock.

Next day a Holly Blue was in the garden, and that night a Black Clock Beetle Pterostichus madidus on the ground by the moth trap.

Another Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet that night was new for the garden year list, as was a lovely Maiden's Blush.  Other moths were Hazel Slender Parornix devoniella, 2 Beech Midgets Phyllonorycter maestingella, 3 Little Dwarfs Elachista canapennella, Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana, 2 Bee Moths Aphomia sociella, Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla, 3 Common Pugs, Brindled Pug, Brimstone Moth, Coxcomb Prominent, Pale Prominent, Muslin Moth, Cinnabar, 2 Shuttle-shaped Darts and 2 Hebrew Characters.

Maiden's Blush, North Elmham, 11th May

There were 3 species of caddisfly: Mottled Sedge Glyphotaelius pellucidus, Limnephilus auricula and, new for the year, Micropterna lateralis. Other than that just Black Sexton Beetle and the hoverfly Platycheirus albimanus.

Micropterna lateralis (male), North Elmham, 11th May

First big push of year-ticks

This Dark-barred Tortrix Syndemis musculana flying around the garden was new for the year on Monday 15th May.

Dark-barred Tortrix Syndemis musculana, North Elmham, 15th May

That night proved the best so far this year with another 14 species new for the year: 2 Common Oak Midgets Phyllonorycter quercifoliella, Red Birch Midget Phyllonorycter ulmifoliella, 2 Fen Flat-bodies Depressaria ultimella, London Dowd Blastobasis lacticolella, 2 Common Cosmets Mompha epilobiella, Common Birch Bell Epinotia immundana, Bee Moth Aphomia sociella, Small Dusty Wave, Common Carpet, Sandy Carpet, 2 Currant Pugs, White-pinion Spotted, Poplar Hawk-moth and Heart and Dart.

Common Oak Midget Phyllonorycter quercifoliella, North Elmham, 15th May

Red Birch Midget Phyllonorycter ulmifoliella, North Elmham, 15th May

Fen Flat-body Depressaria ultimella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 15th May

Common Cosmet Mompha epilobiella, North Elmham, 15th May

Common Birch Bell Epinotia immundana, North Elmham, 15th May

Small Dusty Wave, North Elmham, 15th May

Common Carpet, North Elmham, 15th May

Sandy Carpet, North Elmham, 15th May

Currant Pug, North Elmham, 15th May

White-pinion Spotted, North Elmham, 15th May

Poplar Hawk-moth, North Elmham, 15th May

Heart and Dart, North Elmham, 15th May

There was also an Ectoedemia sp. which I've not managed to put a name to.  It was too worn to key out positively and the genitalia don't seem to match any of the feasible species with images in the Dissection Group website (but there are a lot of these without images).

Ectoedemia sp. (female), North Elmham, 15th May

Over half the species recorded were new for the year, the remainder being Little Dwarf Elachista canapennella, Brindled Flat-body Agonopterix arenella, 2 Light Brown Apple Moths Epiphyas postvittana, Many-plumed Moth Alucita hexadactyla, Green Carpet, 4 Common Pugs, 4 Brimstone Moths, 2 Scalloped Hazels, Waved Umber, Least Black Arches, 3 Flame Shoulders, 2 Hebrew Characters, Clouded-bordered Brindle and Treble Lines (the last was the same distinctively-worn individual I trapped the previous night).

My first Mayfly of the year was Pond Olive Cloeon dipterum.

Pond Olive Cloeon dipterum, North Elmham, 15th May

Caddisflies included Goera pilosa, new for the year, and Glyphotaelius pellucidus, 2 Limnephilus auricula and Limnephilus sparsus.

Goera pilosa (female), North Elmham, 15th May

Limnephilus sparsus (male), North Elmham, 15th May

Other insects included 2 Green Lacewings Chrysoperla carnea agg., a Black Sexton Beetle and, new for the house, the mirid bug Harpocera thoracica.

Harpocera thoracica, North Elmham, 15th May

I have tried but failed to make any significant progress with identifying this (or another one similar, albeit with an almost-triangular areolet).  I'm beginning to think Ichneumons aren't worth the effort...

unidentified ichneumon wasp (I assume?), North Elmham, 15th May