Review of 2019 and 2020 - Moths: Tortrix Moths (Tortricidae) (Part 13: Piercers II (Cydia to Grapholita))

TORTRIX MOTHS (TORTRICIDAE) (continued)


Marbled Piercer Cydia splendana - At least 38 in the garden between 10th July and 2nd September 2019 (though not counted on several dates so possibly more) and 32 between 8th July and 8th September 2020.  Number-wise this species has been fairly consistent here each year.  Elsewhere seen in next door's garden 3 times and at the meadows on 4 dates between 26th July and 3rd September 2019 and 2 on 7th August 2020.  Also at Bintree Wood, Swanton Great Wood and Row Heath (West Runton).

Marbled Piercer Cydia splendana, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 7th July 2019

Large Beech Piercer Cydia fagiglandana - Singles at home on 21st and 24th July 2019 but none here in 2020.  2020 wasn't my first blank year but I had 1-2 every year from 2016-19.  Also singles at the meadows on 7th and 26th July 2019 and 3 there on 7th August 2020 plus one at Bintree Wood on 13th June 2020.

Large Beech Piercer Cydia fagiglandana, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 7th July 2019

Large Beech Piercer Cydia fagiglandana, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 26th July 2019

Vagrant Piercer Cydia amplana - None.  This species has always been regarded as a rare migrant and as such the odds of me getting one here would be very small.  But in very recent years there have been so many records at inland Norfolk sites it must surely have become established.  Some of these aren't all that far away, like one at Sparham and a ludicrous 20+ that Dave Norgate has had at Toftwood, so I now have high hopes of finding my first before too long.


Scarce Maple Piercer Cydia inquinatana - Having been at the event where Norfolk's first (and Britain's 4th) record of this species was taken, but having not seen it as I didn't hear about it on the night, it was nice to catch one in my own garden on 11th July 2020.  Of course there have been quite a few in Norfolk since that first one in 2011 - I think mine is the 16th.

female Scarce Maple Piercer Cydia inquinatana, North Elmham, 11th July 2020

Red Piercer Lathronympha strigana - 6 between 23rd July and 21st August 2019 and 15 between 21st May and 17th August 2020.  Numbers don't fluctuate all that much here and these were my worst and best years respectively.  Also 2 next door, one at the meadows and one at Bintree Wood.

female Red Piercer Lathronympha strigana, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 23rd June 2020

Triple-stripe Piercer Grapholita compositella - One netted at the meadows on 20th July 2020 was only my second record of this species although it was one I was half-expecting there as there's an abundance of clover.  Not sure how often this species comes to light so my chances of catching one at home are perhaps not so high?

Triple-stripe Piercer Grapholita compositella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 20th July 2020

Dark Gorse Piercer Grapholita internana - None.  I've not had this species very locally, though I always look for it around the gorse at the meadows.


Crescent Piercer Grapholita orobana - None.  This seems to be quite a scarce species in Norfolk but there's no reason I can see why it shouldn't occur locally.  I've not seen it yet though, anywhere.


Vetch Piercer Grapholita jungiella - 6 at the meadows over the 2 years between 22nd April and 12th May.  I haven't recorded this species at home yet but I usually see it in the day-time.

Vetch Piercer Grapholita jungiella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 12th May 2019

Vetch Piercer Grapholita jungiella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 22nd April 2020

Kent Fruit Piercer Grapholita lobarzewskii - following Norfolk's second record in my garden in 2018 I had another 5 in 2019!  The first turned up to the lobarzewskii pheremone lure on 29th June and I imagine the next two were attracted to it to, but they actually turned up in the moth trap that night.  Then there were 2 more to lure on 12th July.  One more in 2020 on 11th July.

male Kent Fruit Piercers Grapholita lobarzewskii, North Elmham, 29th June 2019

male Kent Fruit Piercers Grapholita lobarzewskii, North Elmham, 12th July 2019

male Kent Fruit Piercer Grapholita lobarzewskii, North Elmham, 11th July 2020

Plum Fruit Moth Grapholita funebrana - One at Weybourne on 5th July 2019.  None at home where this species has been very irregular - none most years but 6 in 2016 and one in 2018.  None in 2020.

male Plum Fruit Moth Grapholita funebrana, Weybourne, 5th July 2019

Deep-brown Piercer Grapholita tenebrosana - None.  I've never seen this species but apparently it comes to the pheremone lure for Grapholita funebrana so I'm hoping to attract one soon.


Pale-bordered Piercer Grapholita janthinana - One here on 27th July 2019 was only my second here to MV light (first in 2015).  2 came to the pheremone lure for Grapholita lobarzewskii on 11th July 2020 (the second time I've caught them here using this method).  Also one to light at Weybourne on 5th July 2019. 

male Pale-bordered Piercers Grapholita janthinana, North Elmham, 10th July 2020

Next page: more Tortricidae

Grapholita lobarzewskii - the second for Norfolk (and first for the vice-county)

The pheronome lures often attract insects that aren't their target and this Syrphus ribesii (a hoverfly) was one such example.

Syrphus ribesii, North Elmham, 21st June

New moths for the year that night were Common Groundling Teleiodes vulgella, Base-lined Grey Scoparia basistrigalis, Clay and Plain Golden Y.

Common Groundling Teleiodes vulgella, North Elmham, 21st June

Base-lined Grey Scoparia basistrigalis (male, gen det), North Elmham, 21st June

Plain Golden Y, North Elmham, 21st June

The rest of the moths that unremarkable night were 3 Large Ivy Tortrixes Lozotaenia forsterana, Common Marble Celypha lacunana, Common Grey Scoparia ambigualis, Marsh Grey Eudonia pallida, Garden Pebble Evergestis forficalis, Small Magpie Anania hortulata, Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla, Common Emerald, Single-dotted Wave, 3 Treble Brown Spots, Riband Wave, Garden Carpet, 2 Barred Straws, Clouded Border, 2 Willow Beauties, Engrailed, Common White Wave, Light Emerald, Elephant Hawk-moth, Common Footman, 9 Buff Ermines, 2 Cinnabars, 2 Heart and Clubs, Heart and Dart, Ingrailed Clay, Common Wainscot, 2 Brown Rustics, 4 Uncertains, and Spectacle.

If that was poor then the following night is probably best described as tragic.  Just 16 moths of 12 species, in the fourth week of June (and no mayflies, lacewings, caddisflies, bugs or beetles).  It may have been cool but this is ridiculous!  They were London Dowd Blastobasis lacticolella, Light Brown Apple-moth Epiphyas postvittana, 2 Large Ivy Tortrixes Lozotaenia forsterana, Common Swift, Single-dotted Wave, Common Footman, 3 Buff Ermines, Heart and Club, Heart and Dart, Ingrailed Clay, 2 Brown Rustics and Dark Arches.

Common Swift, North Elmham, 22nd June

Next day a quick visit to the allotments produced Yellow Shell and a Dock Bug.  I put the pheronome lure out again for Grapholita lobarzewskii.  This is a newly-developed lure and Jon Clifton caught Norfolk's first lobarzewskii in his garden when trialling it last year, but it also attracted a number of Grapholita janthinana.  Aware of this it was no great surprise when I found a Grapholita in the lure trap to find that it was 'just' a Pale-bordered Piercer Grapholita janthinana.  But that's only the second time I've had this moth here so not all that bad really.

Pale-bordered Piercer Grapholita janthinana (male, gen det), North Elmham, 23rd June

That night was only a little better than the previous one, with London Dowd Blastobasis lacticolella, Flax Tortrix Cnephasia asseclana, Common Marble Celypha lacunana, Small Magpie Anania hortulata, Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla, 2 Single-dotted Waves, Riband Wave, Clouded Border, Brimstone Moth, 2 Willow Beauties, Mottled Beauty, 5 Buff Ermines, Cinnabar, 3 Heart and Clubs, 3 Heart and Darts, Double Square-spot, Bright-line Brown-eye, Common Wainscot, 5 Brown Rustics, 3 Uncertains, Burnished Brass, Spectacle and Straw Dot.

The following day got a whole lot better, starting with the contents of the Grapholita lobarzewskii pherenome lure trap.  In it was a moth that looked superficially similar to Grapholita janthinana, but was immediately obviously different from the Grapholita janthinana I'd caught in there the previous day.  For a starter it was substantially larger, but it was also structurally different being noticeably longer and at least proportionately narrower in the wing.  From below the hindwing cilia looked white and when I managed to encourage it to show its hindwings they were really dark.  Surely this was the boy!  I was so sure I was tempted not to dissect it - surely it couldn't not be lobarzewskii!  But this is a significant record and would only be accepted on dissection so I dutifully did the business.  Sure enough, it proved to be a male Kent Fruit Piercer Grapholita lobarzewskii, the second record for Norfolk (and first for this vice county).  A nice fresh one too, which is something I can't say about most of the janthinana I've seen previously!

Kent Fruit Piercer Grapholita lobarzewskii (male, gen det), North Elmham, 24th June

Here it is with the Grapholita janthinana from the previous day, for comparison:

Pale-bordered Piercer Grapholita janthinana (left) and Kent Fruit Piercer Grapholita lobarzewskii (right)

Remarkably this wasn't my only new moth that day as the night's moth trap produced a Rose Case-bearer Coleophora gryphipennella.  To be fair I didn't have much inkling about this one until I dissected it quite a long time later.  They say that the antennae being clearly ringed right to the tip is a good indicator for this species, but to my eyes this species is extremely similar to various other Coleophora species, some of which can have antennae ringed to the tip.

Rose Case-bearer Coleophora gryphipennella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 24th June

Triangle-marked Roller Ancylis achatana, Swallow-tailed Moth and Dingy Footman were all new for the year that night.

Triangle-marked Roller Ancylis achatana, North Elmham, 24th June

Swallow-tailed Moth, North Elmham, 24th June

Other moths were Tipped Oak Case-bearer Coleophora flavipennella, Buff Rush Case-bearer Coleophora caespititiella, Common Yellow Conch Agapeta hamana, Black-headed Conch Cochylis atricapitana, 2 Large Fruit-tree Tortrixes Archips podana, Privet Tortrix Clepsis consimilana, Light Brown Apple-moth Epiphyas postvittana, 3 Large Ivy Tortrixes Lozotaenia forsterana, 5 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Triple-blotched Bell Notocelia trimaculana, Hoary Bell Eucosma cana, Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteuchia culmella, Inlaid Grass-veneer Crambus pascuella, 2 Small Greys Eudonia mercurella, 8 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, White Plume Pterophorus pentadactyla, Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla, Dwarf Cream Wave, 2 Small Dusty Waves, Riband Wave, Garden Carpet, 3 Barred Straws, 3 Barred Yellows, Foxglove Pug, Double-striped Pug, Lilac Beauty, Willow Beauty, Mottled Beauty, Common White Wave, 2 Common Footmen, 8 Buff Ermines, Cinnabar, 2 Heart and Clubs, 3 Heart and Darts, 2 Flames, Ingrailed Clay, 4 Double Square-spots, Common Wainscot, 4 Brown Rustics, Marbled Minor, Tawny Marbled Minor, Treble Lines, 13 Uncertains, Mottled Rustic, 2 Straw Dots and Snout. Caddisflies were Hydropsyche pellucidula and 2 Grouse Wings Mystacides longicornis.