Review of 2019 and 2020 - Moths: Tortrix Moths (Tortricidae) (Part 12: Drills and Piercers I (Dichrorampha to Cydia))

TORTRIX MOTHS (TORTRICIDAE) (continued)


Lead-coloured Drill Dichrorampha plumbana - Found at the meadows on 27th May and 20th June 2020.  None in 2019 and I've not found this species at home yet, probably because it doesn't seem to come to light very readily (nearly all of my records have been netted during the afternoon).

male Lead-coloured Drill Dichrorampha plumbana, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 27th May 2020

male Lead-coloured Drill Dichrorampha plumbana, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 20th June 2020

Dingy Drill Dichrorampha sedetana - None.  I've never seen this one but although there aren't many records in Norfolk the same was true of plumbana and aeratana when I started finding them.


Obscure Drill Dichrorampha aeratana - Found at the meadows on 25th and 27th May 2020.  None in 2019 and like plumbana I've not recorded this species at home and have only found it during the afternoons/evenings.

male Obscure Drill Dichrorampha aeratana, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May 2020

male Obscure Drill Dichrorampha aeratana, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 27th May 2020

Sharp-winged Drill Dichrorampha acuminatana - Caught in the garden on 8th August (2) and 23rd August 2019, my first here in 3 years (though I'd had 1-3 in each of 2014 to 2016).  3 again in 2020 with one on 8th May and 2 on 10th August  Also recorded next door twice in August 2019.  6 at the meadows were mostly in May, just one in August.

male Sharp-winged Drill Dichrorampha acuminatana, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 12th May 2019

male Sharp-winged Drill Dichrorampha acuminatana, North Elmham, 23rd August 2019

male Sharp-winged Drill Dichrorampha acuminatana, North Elmham, 8th May 2020

male Sharp-winged Drill Dichrorampha acuminatana, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 27th May 2020

Round-winged Drill Dichrorampha simpliciana - Trapped in the garden on 23rd July (2) and 5th August 2019.  Like the previous species these were my first here since 2016, but that gap was even more unexpected in light of the 17 I recorded here in 2015-16.  2020 was a real bumper year for this species here, completely unprecedented - I caught 75 between 15th June and 23rd August including 15 on 11th August.  Also 2 at the meadows on 13th July 2019 but despite the large numbers in my garden in 2020 only one at the meadows on the relatively late date of 30th August.  Although the differences in wing-shape between this and the previous species can be reasonably obvious I still find some individuals are confusing and with the additional risk of overlooking some of the scarcer Dichrorampha I resort to checking many by referring to their genitalia.  In fact in 2020 I started to feel more comfortable with them but when the numbers were getting so large and other moth-trappers weren't reporting unusual numbers of this species I started to doubt myself again and resorted to checking  more again.  Fortunately these all proved to be correctly so I quickly reverted to checking a minority of less clear-cut individuals.  However, I still think there is plenty of opportunity to go wrong with these - although I don't think there were any suspected simpliciana that proved to be anything else on dissection there were 3-4 suspected acuminatana that proved to be simliciana on dissection.

male Round-winged Drill Dichrorampha simpliciana, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 13th July 2019

female Round-winged Drill Dichrorampha simpliciana, North Elmham, 23rd July 2019

male Round-winged Drill Dichrorampha simpliciana, North Elmham, 5th August 2019

male Round-winged Drill Dichrorampha simpliciana, North Elmham, 26th June 2020

male Round-winged Drill Dichrorampha simpliciana, North Elmham, 22nd July 2020

female Round-winged Drill Dichrorampha simpliciana, North Elmham, 5th August 2020

male Round-winged Drill Dichrorampha simpliciana, North Elmham, 7th August 2020

male Round-winged Drill Dichrorampha simpliciana, North Elmham, 10th August 2020

Square-spot Drill Dichrorampha sequana - None.  I've only seen this species at one site in Great Ryburgh (where there were 3 along a verge) but I should imagine it must occur closer to home as well.


Gold-fringed Drill Dichrorampha vancouverana - None.  I haven't seen this species since 2013 and there aren't any records local to here, but there's no reason why it shouldn't turn up round here.


Narrow-blotch Drill Dichrorampha flavidorsana - None.  I'm yet to see this species.  In theory it could occur round here but I haven't got any Tansy on my patch so perhaps not as likely as some of the other species missing from my local area.


Broad-blotch Drill Dichrorampha alpinana - One found resting on some Field Maple at the meadows on 25th May 2020.  I had singles of this species in the garden in 3 consecutive years 2015-2017 but not since.

male Broad-blotch Drill Dichrorampha alpinana, North Elmham, 25th May 2020

Common Drill Dichrorampha petiverella - None.  Despite seeing 10 at 3 sites in 2013 I haven't seen this species since.  It's not far away but I haven't yet seen it in the North Elmham area.


Silver-lined Drill Dichrorampha plumbagana - None.  This species seems to be cropping up more often recently so I am optimistic that I will find one locally before too long.


Pea Moth Cydia nigricana - 3 at the meadows on 22nd-25th May 2019 and 2 there on 8th May 2020.  I've not seen this at home yet but that's not surprising for a species mainly found in the afternoons rather than being attracted to light, though I did get one come to light at Bintree Wood on 13th June 2020 so it's not impossible!

female Pea Moth Cydia nigricana, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 22nd May 2019

female Pea Moth Cydia nigricana, Bintree Wood, 13th June 2020

Grey Gorse Piercer Cydia ulicetana - None in 2019 (must be one of the commonest moths I didn't see that year) and just 2 in 2020 (one at the meadows on 15th May and one at Frost's Common on 21st May).  I've only ever had one in my garden (2017).

female Grey Gorse Piercer Cydia ulicetana, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 15th May 2020

Grey Gorse Piercer Cydia ulicetana, Forst's Common, 21st May 2020

Pine-cone Piercer Cydia conicolana - None.  I've only seen one of these and that wasn't confirmed (someone took it away to gen det but I never heard back about it), so it's a species I'd be keen to see again.  There are no records very close to here though (Keith's 2020 record at Litcham is closest), so not sure what my chances of finding it locally are.  I'd be equally or even more happy to find any of the other scarcer conifer-feeding Cydia round here, the only ones of which I've ever seen anywhere are Norfolk's only Larch Piercer Cydia illutana and the cosmophorana below.


Scarce Pine Piercer Cydia cosmophorana - One at Hills and Holes on 21st May 2020 was the first time I've encountered this species.  There were 5 records in Norfolk in 2020 but only 6 prior to 2020.

female Scarce Pine Piercer Cydia cosmophorana, Hills and Holes, 21st May 2020

Codling Moth Cydia pomonella - 3 in the garden between 9th and 24th July 2019 and 6 between 25th June and 12th August 2020.  I've had between 2 and 8 of these each year since I've lived here.  Elsewhere one at Weybourne on 5th July 2019.


Sallow-shoot Piercer Cydia servillana - One netted at Frost's Common on 21st May 2020, the first moth seen on arrival and the 5th record for Norfolk.  I'm still hoping for a repeat of my 2018 record at the meadows.

Sallow-shoot Piercer Cydia servillana, Frost's Common, 21st May 2020

Next page: more Tortricidae

Mere Wainscot

For a cool night I did well at home on 18th July as well (as well as at Brancaster, that is).  Several moths were new for the year for home: Scarce Obscure Oegoconia deauratella, Maple Button Acleris forsskaleana, Pale Water-veneer Donacaula forficella, 2 Ash-bark Knot-horns Euzophera pinguis, Slender Pug, Vapourer, Black Arches, Ruby Tiger and Mere Wainscot.  The latter was only my second ever.

Mere Wainscot, North Elmham, 18th July

Vapourer, North Elmham, 18th July

Slender Pug, North Elmham, 18th July

Maple Button Acleris forsskaleana, North Elmham, 18th July

 Ash-bark Knot-horn Euzophera pinguis, North Elmham, 18th July

Pale Water-veneer Donacaula forficella, North Elmham, 18th July

Scarce Obscure Oegoconia deauratella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 18th July

It was Footman City with  24 Rosy Footmen, 12 Dingy Footmen, 6 Scarce Footmen, Buff Footman and 83 Common Footmen.  Other macros were 2 Chinese Characters, Peach Blossom, Small Emerald, Blood-vein, Small Blood-vein, 2 Lesser Cream Waves, Least Carpet, Small Fan-footed Wave, Dwarf Cream Wave, 6 Single-dotted Waves, 12 Riband Waves, Shaded Broad-bar, Barred Straw, Small Rivulet, 2 Green Pugs, Double-striped Pug, 6 Clouded Borders, 3 Brimstone Moths, 4 Early Thorns, 3 Scalloped Oaks, Peppered Moth, Willow Beauty, 2 Clouded Silvers, 2 Privet Hawkmoths, 3 Elephant Hawkmoths, Swallow Prominent, 2 Buff-tips, 5 Yellow-tails, Round-winged Muslin, 10 Buff Ermines, 3 Heart and Darts, Flame, 6 Double Square-spots, Nutmeg, 3 Bright-line Brown-eyes, 3 Clays, 5 Smoky Wainscots, 3 Dark Arches, Light Arches, 6 Common Rustics, Lesser Common Rustic, Ear Moth, 31 Uncertains, 8 Rustics, Mottled Rustic, 2 Nut-tree Tussocks, Burnished Brass and 7 Snouts.

Small Emerald, North Elmham, 18th July

Lesser Common Rustic (male, gen det), North Elmham, 18th July

Other micros were Bird’s-nest Moth Tinea trinotella, probable Brown Apple Midget Phyllonorycter blancardella, 18 Bird-cherry Ermines Yponomeuta evonymella, Woundwort Case-bearer Coleophora lineolea, Speckled Case-bearer Coleophora sternipennella, Little Dwarf Elachista canapennella, Golden-brown Tubic Crassa unitella, Burdock Neb Metzneria lappella, Cinereous Groundling Bryotropha terrella, Hook-marked Straw Moth Agapeta hamana, 2 Dark Fruit-tree Tortrices Pandemis heparana, 3 Large Fruit-tree Tortrices Archips podana, 4 Privet Tortrices Clepsis consimilana, 7 Red-barred Tortrices Ditula angustiorana, 2 Grey Tortrices Cnephasia stephensiana, Flax Tortrix Cnephasia asseclana, Light Grey Tortrix Cnephasia incertana, Barred Marble Celypha striana, 9 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Marbled Orchard Tortrix Hedya nubiferana, 5 Triangle-marked Rollers Ancylis achatana, Round-winged Drill Dichrorampha simpliciana, 22 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, Grass-veneer Crambus pascuella, Yellow Satin Veneer Crambus perlella, 15 Pearl Veneers Agriphila straminella, Common Grass-veneer Agriphila tristella, Pearl Grass-veneer Catoptria pinella, Chequered Grass-veneer Catoptria falsella, 2 Water Veneers Acentria ephemerella, 2 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis, 10 Little Greys Eudonia lacustrata, 3 Small Magpies Eurrhypara hortulata, 4 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis and 2 Rosy Tabbies Endotricha flammealis.

Round-winged Drill Dichrorampha simpliciana, North Elmham, 18th July

Next day was quite poor with Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix Pandemis heparana, Barred Marble Celypha striana, 3 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, 4 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, 6 Pearl Veneers Agriphila straminella, Chequered Grass-veneer Catoptria falsella, Pale Water-veneer Donacaula forficella (a different individual), 2 Small Magpies Eurrhypara hortulata, Rosy Tabby Endotricha flammealis, Chinese Character, 2 Single-dotted Waves, 3 Clouded Borders, Brimstone Moth, 3 Early Thorns, 2 Scalloped Oaks, Swallow-tailed Moth, Willow Beauty, Common White Wave, Poplar Hawkmoth, 2 Elephant Hawkmoths, 4 Buff-tips, Yellow-tail, Rosy Footman, Scarce Footman, 35 Common Footmen, 9 Buff Ermines, Ruby Tiger, Cinnabar, 2 Flames, 3 Double Square-spots, Nutmeg, Dot Moth, 2 Bright-line Brown-eyes, Clay, 2 Smoky Wainscots, 2 Dark Arches, Lesser Common Rustic, 13 Uncertains, 3 Rustics, Mottled Rustic, Nut-tree Tussock, Silver Y and Snout. 

The day after was back on form... more on that next post.