Review of 2019 and 2020 - Moths: Tortrix Moths (Tortricidae) (Part 9: Bells I (Epinotia to Zeiraphera))

TORTRIX MOTHS (TORTRICIDAE) (continued)


Large Birch Bell Epinotia brunnichana - 3 at Swanton Great Wood on 27th August 2019 and one at Bintree Wood on 24th July 2020.  I've had this species at home twice, in 2015 and 2017.

Large Birch Bell Epinotia brunnichana, Swanton Great Wood, 27th August 2019

Large Birch Bell Epinotia brunnichana, Bintree Wood, 24th July 2020

Variable Bell Epinotia solandriana - None.  I've never seen this species but the few Norfolk records are scattered quite widely and there's plenty of its foodplants growing round here.


Brown Elm Bell Epinotia abbreviana - One in the garden on 23rd June 2019.  Until 2020 this species occurred here annually but with only 1-2 records each year a blank year was inevitable and it came in 2020.

male Brown Elm Bell Epinotia abbreviana, North Elmham, 23rd June 2019

Black-brindled Bell Epinotia signatana - Singles caught in the garden on 24th June and 5th July 2019 and 17th June 2020.  The July 2019 one had a large tick attached to the side of its face.  I've had 9 here now in 6 years but didn't have any in 2018.  Elsewhere one at the meadows on 18th June 2020.

male Black-brindled Bell Epinotia signatana, North Elmham, 24th June 2019

Black-brindled Bell Epinotia signatana, North Elmham, 5th July 2019 - with unidentified tick

male Black-brindled Bell Epinotia signatana, North Elmham, 17th June 2020

male Black-brindled Bell Epinotia signatana, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 18th June 2020

Willow Tortix Epinotia cruciana - None.  I've never caught this species here - my closest record is one I caught at my last house in Bawdeswell in 2013.


Common Birch Bell Epinotia immundana - One in my car on the driveway on 7th May 2019 and 3 caught in my garden in 2020 (8th May, 16th August and 8th September).  I average 2 a year here.  Also 5 at Sculthorpe Moor on 26th April 2019 and one at Penberth in Cornwall in October 2020.

Common Birch Bells Epinotia immundana, Sculthorpe Moor, 26th April 2019

Common Birch Bell Epinotia immundana, North Elmham, 8th May 2020

Common Birch Bell Epinotia immundana, North Elmham, 16th August 2020

Common Birch Bell Epinotia immundana, North Elmham, 8th Sepember 2020

Birch Bell Epinotia demarniana - None.  Perhaps surprisingly, I've never caught this species here.  It's not far away - I caught it twice at my last place in Bawdeswell and twice at Bawdeswell Heath.


White Sallow Bell Epinotia subocellana - None.  I've only seen this species once, but not far away - at Bintree Wood in 2012.


Square-barred Bell Epinotia tetraquetrana - None.  I'm yet to record this species but although it's scarce it seems to be pretty widespread so may well be lurking nearby.


Nut-bud Moth Epinotia tenerana - 5 in the garden trap between 25th June and 25th July 2019 and 2 in 2020, on 5th July and 2nd September.  I had 9 in 2018 but none in either 2015 or 2017.

male Nut-bud Moth Epinotia tenerana, North Elmham, 16th July 2019

male Nut-bud Moth Epinotia tenerana, North Elmham, 5th July 2020

male Nut-bud Moth Epinotia tenerana, North Elmham, 2nd September 2020

Small Birch Bell Epinotia ramella - Singles in the garden on 22nd August 2019 and 7th September 2020.  Like the previous species numbers recorded here vary dramatically from one year to the next, with 7-8 in 2014 and 2018 and 0-1 in 2015-2017.  Also 2 at Swanton Great Wood on 27th August 2019.

Small Birch Bell Epinotia ramella, North Elmham, 22nd August 2019

Pine Bell Epinotia rubiginosana - Recorded at Hills and Holes on 21st May 2020 and Bintree Wood on 13th June 2020.  Although this species can be easy enough to find in suitable habitat I have yet to record it North Elmham.

Pine Bell Epinotia rubiginosana, Bintree Wood, 13th June 2020

Common Spruce Bell Epinotia tedella - None.  I've recorded this species once at home, in 2018.


Crescent Bell Epinotia bilunana - One in the garden moth trap on 28th June 2019 but after averaging 3 a year since 2015 I had my first blank year in 2020.


Grey Poplar Bell Epinotia nisella - 2019 was my first blank year here, although there was one possible that I couldn't resolve - see below after cinereana.  3 in 2020 between 14th August and 22nd September, my equal best year here.  When I trapped in next-door's garden on 7th August 2019 I caught over 10 nisella, which is more than I had trapped in my own garden in 6 years - amazing the difference a couple of hundred yards can make.  Also one at Swanton Great Wood on 27th August 2019, 10 at Whitwell Street on 3rd September 2020 and one in Cornwall in October 2020.

Grey Poplar Bell Epinotia nisella, Whitwell Street, 3rd September 2020

Grey Poplar Bell Epinotia nisella, Tresidder (Cornwall), 6th October 2020

Grey Aspen Bell Epinotia cinereana - One in my garden on 8th July 2020 was my second here but only the 8th record for Norfolk.

male Grey Aspen Bell Epinotia cinereana, North Elmham, 8th July 2020 (showing genitalia and aedeagus - some of the cornuti detached but they can be counted by counting the number of spots on the plate they attach to)

In each year I caught single nisella/cinereana that I have been unable to resolve.  The first in 2019 had gone a bit mouldy when I came to examine it and while that doesn't normally affect the genitalia and prevent determination, when I removed this one's abdomen from the potassium hydroxide (used to soften it before examining the genitalia) the genitalia fell apart.  I don't think it had been in excessively long so not sure if it was down to the mould or what, but although I did find the aedeagus there was absolutely no sign of cornuti or the little plate to which the cornuti attach.  It's not uncommon for the cornuti to be missing (I think they lose them during mating) but you can normally find the plate inside the aedeagus and count the spots where they had been attached.  As the number of cornuti is the best means of separating these two species I'm going to have to leave this one unresolved.

Grey Poplar Bell Epinotia nisella or Grey Aspen Bell Epinotia cinereana, North Elmham, 10th August 2019

A second candidate for cinereana in 2020 was equally problematic, but for different reasons.  In this case although the cornuti were missing, the plate to which they attach was present and undamaged.  The number of cornuti in each species varies and different references quote slightly different ranges, but up to now it's been pretty clear which species has been involved.  The ranges quoted on the British Lepidoptera website are 18-20 for cinereana and 40-50 for nisella, whereas the Moth Dissection UK website shows 15-20 in cinereana and "around 40" in nisella (annotated against an example with only 35).  My record of cinereana from 2015 had 21 so although it was slightly more than the stated range it was obviosuly in the cinereana ball park.  The one from July 2020 had 20, so within range for cinereana, but another candidate from my garden trap on 4th August 2020 had 27, so what am I to make of that?!  I suspect it's another cinereana but until and unless the possible ranges for each species are clarified I don't think I can record it as one or the other.  One or two other genitalic differences have been suggested for these two but I've not been able to make sense of any other character when comparing to images online.

Grey Poplar Bell Epinotia nisella or Grey Aspen Bell Epinotia cinereana, North Elmham, 4th August 2020 - showing aedeagus plate where cornuti attach

Spruce Bell Zeiraphera ratzeburgiana - One in the garden trap on 4th July 2020, my third here and my first anywhere since 2016.

Spruce Bell Zeiraphera raatzeburgiana, North Elmham, 4th July 2020

Cock's-head Bell Zeiraphera isertana - 3 in the garden between 24th June and 24th July 2019 and 3 between 23rd July and 8th August 2020, my best showing heres of a species that had previously only averaged one a year.  Also 2 at the meadows in 2019 and one at Bintree Wood in 2020.

male Cock's-head Bell Zeiraphera isertana, North Elmham, 24th June 2019

male and female Cock's-head Bells Zeiraphera isertana, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 7th July 2019

female Cock's-head Bell Zeiraphera isertana, North Elmham, 23rd July 2020

Southern Bell Crocidosema plebejana - None.  This species seems to be colonising though it isn't common yet.  I had one in the garden in 2017.


Next page: more Tortricidae

New hoverfly and lacewing

Now over a month behind, ah well.  30th June then: a number of new moths for the year included Timothy Tortrix Aphelia paleana, Black-brindled Bell Epinotia signatana, Brown China-mark Elophila nymphaeata, Small Fan-footed Wave, Dot Moth and Smoky Wainscot.

Black-brindled Bell Epinotia signatana, North Elmham, 30th June

Dot Moth, North Elmham, 30th June

Smoky Wainscot, North Elmham, 30th June

Brown China-mark Elophila nymphaeata, North Elmham, 30th June

Other micro moths were Diamond-back Moth Plutella xylostella, Little Dwarf Elachista canapennella, Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix Pandemis cerasana, 2 Large Fruit-tree Tortrixes Archips podana, Light Grey Tortrix Cnephasia incertana, 2 Barred Marbles Celypha striana, 5 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, 2 Plum Tortrixes Hedya pruniana, Triple-blotched Bell Notocelia trimaculana, Hoary Bell Eucosma cana, 9 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, Grass-veneer Crambus pascuella, Hook-streaked Grass-Veneer Crambus lathoniellus, 2 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis, 2 Little Greys Eudonia lacustrata including this quite dark one and 3 Small Magpies Anania hortulata.

Little Grey Eudonia lacustrata (male, gen det), North Elmham, 30th June

The rest of the macros were Common Emerald, Treble Brown Spot, 2 Riband Waves, Large Twin-spot Carpet, Yellow Shell, Common Pug, Grey Pug, 2 Green Pugs, Clouded Border, 2 Brimstone Moths, 5 Peppered Moths, Willow Beauty, 2 Mottled Beauties, 2 Clouded Silvers, Poplar Hawkmoth, Eyed Hawkmoth, 3 Elephant Hawkmoths, 6 Buff Ermines, 2 Heart and Clubs, 3 Heart and Darts, 6 Flames, 2 Flame Shoulders, 4 Large Yellow Underwings, 4 Double Square-spots, Bright-line Brown-eye, Common Wainscot, Brown Rustic, Angle Shades, 6 Dark Arches, 4 Marbled Minors, Rufous Minor, Tawny Marbled Minor, 4 Middle-barred Minors, possible Rustic, Mottled Rustic, 2 Burnished Brasses, Spectacle, Straw Dot and 7 Snouts.

Large Twin-spot Carpet, North Elmham, 30th June

Dark Arches, North Elmham, 30th June

Caddisflies were 2 probable Hydropsyche siltalai, Phryganea grandis, 2 Limnephilus auricula,  Leptocerus tineiformis and Mystacides longicornis. A beetle resembled Malthinus flaveolus but I'm not sure how to eliminate other similar species.

A hoverfly caused me a bit of a headache but I eventually identified it as my first Melangyna cincta.  I'd overlooked the genus as they're supposed to have mainly black legs (but other photos of this species don't seem to) and at least a partial dark stripe on the face which I couldn't detect.

Melangyna cincta, North Elmham, 30th June

Also a Eupeodes corollae.

 Eupeodes corollae, North Elmham, 30th June

Another new insect was a green lacewing: Nineta vittata.

Nineta vittata, North Elmham, 30th June

July started badly with just 60 moths of 31 species on the night of 1st.  None were even new for the year: Beech Midget Phyllonorycter maestingella, Large Ivy Tortrix Lozotaenia forsterana, Light Grey Tortrix Cnephasia incertana, Barred Marble Celypha striana, 3 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, 2 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, Common Grey Scoparia ambigualis, Brown China-mark Elophila nymphaeata, Ringed China-mark Parapoynx stratiotata, White Plume Pterophorus pentadactyla, 4 Barred Straws, Lime-speck Pug, Clouded Border, 3 Willow Beauties, Poplar Hawkmoth, 2 Eyed Hawkmoths, 16 Buff Ermines, Cinnabar, Heart and Club, Heart and Dart, Large Yellow Underwing, Ingrailed Clay, 2 Bright-line Brown-eyes, Clay, Brown Rustic, 2 Dark Arches, 2 Uncertains, Mottled Rustic, 3 Burnished Brasses, Spectacle and Straw Dot.

New moth: Acompsia cinerella

After a night off, 13th July was another good night with 100 species, though lacking some of the big numbers of the 11th.  Instead it produced a new moth for me, Ash-coloured Sober Acompsia cinerella.  I guess from its vernacular name you wouldn't expect it to be much of a looker, and it lived up to expectations.

 Ash-coloured Sober Acompsia cinerella, North Elmham, 14th July

Some really good moths among the others too.  Two years ago when I first found Pine Cosmet Batrachedra pinicolella it was the first Norfolk record for 129 years.  Since then there have been 9 more records in the county, so not quite the rarity it seemed, though what caused the sudden surge in records after such a long gap I have no idea.  Anyway, it's still a good moth, so good to find another one at home.

Two more scarce moths that have enjoyed a recent upsurge in numbers of records were Dull Red Groundling Bryotropha senectella and Base-lined Grey Scoparia basistrigalis, both confirmed by gen detting.

Dull Red Groundling Bryotropha senectella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 14th July

Base-lined Grey Scoparia basistrigalis (female, gen det), North Elmham, 14th July

Yarrow Case-bearer Coleophora argentula and Coronet were both my second ever records.  The Coronet was interesting being a dark form - I had forgotten how green they are.

Coronet, North Elmham, 14th July

Yarrow Case-bearer Coleophora argentula (male, gen det), North Elmham, 14th July

Also new for the year (for home) were Chequered Straw Evergestis pallidata, Round-winged Muslin and Purple Clay. 

Purple Clay, North Elmham, 14th July

Round-winged Muslin, North Elmham, 14th July

Chequered Straw Evergestis pallidata, North Elmham, 14th July

The best of the other micros was another Black-brindled Bell Epinotia signatana.  The others micros were 7 Bird-cherry Ermines Yponomeuta evonymella, White-headed Ermel Paraswammerdamia albicapitella, Meadow Case-bearer Coleophora mayrella, Little Dwarf Elachista canapennella, Brown House-moth Hofmannophila pseudospretella, Burdock Neb Metzneria lappella, Cinereous Groundling Bryotropha terrella, 4 Hook-marked Straw Moths Agapeta hamana, 3 Privet Tortrices Clepsis consimilana, Large Ivy Tortrix Lozotaenia forsterana, 5 Grey Tortrices Cnephasia stephensiana, 6 Barred Marbles Celypha striana, 7 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Triangle-marked Roller Ancylis achatana, Holly Tortrix Rhopobota naevana, 2 Common Cloaked Shoots Gypsonoma dealbana, Triple-blotched Bell Notocelia trimaculana, Hoary Bell Eucosma cana, 32 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, Yellow Satin Veneer Crambus perlella, Pearl Veneer Agriphila straminella, Pearl Grass-veneer Catoptria pinella, 3 Water Veneers Acentria ephemerella, 2 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis, 11 Little Greys Eudonia lacustrata, Small Grey Eudonia mercurella, Brown China-mark Elophila nymphaeata, Ringed China-mark Parapoynx stratiotata, 3 Small Magpies Eurrhypara hortulata, 3 Elder Pearls Anania coronata, 2 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, Rosy Tabby Endotricha flammealis, 2 Bee Moths Aphomia sociella and Dotted Oak Knot-horn Phycita roborella.

Black-brindled Bell Epinotia signatana, North Elmham, 14th July

Dotted Oak Knot-horn Phycita roborella, North Elmham, 14th July

Other macros were 2 Buff Arches, 2 Common Emeralds, Small Blood-vein, 11 Small Fan-footed Waves, 2 Single-dotted Waves, Treble Brown Spot, 9 Riband Waves, 3 Large Twin-spot Carpets, Shaded Broad-bar, 6 Barred Straws, July Highflyer, Sandy Carpet, Wormwood Pug, Common Pug, 2 Green Pugs, Small Yellow Wave, Clouded Border, 4 Brimstone Moths, Lilac Beauty, Early Thorn, 5 Swallow-tailed Moths, 5 Peppered Moths, 4 Willow Beauties, 3 Mottled Beauties, 3 Common White Waves, 11 Clouded Silvers, 2 Poplar Hawkmoths, 8 Elephant Hawkmoths, Iron Prominent, Yellow-tail, 6 Rosy Footmen, Dingy Footman, 2 Scarce Footmen, Buff Footman, 31 Common Footmen, Buff Ermine, Heart and Dart, 7 Flames, Flame Shoulder, 8 Double Square-spots, Dot Moth, 2 Lychnises, 5 Clays, 5 Smoky Wainscots, Brown Rustic, Small Angle Shades, 7 Dark Arches, Tawny Marbled Minor, Common Rustic, Lesser Common Rustic, 28 Uncertains, 3 Mottled Rustics, Spectacle, 2 Beautiful Hook-tips, 13 Snouts and 6 Fan-foots. 

Buff Footman, North Elmham, 14th July

Wormwood Pug, North Elmham, 14th July