Review of 2019 and 2020 - Moths: Noctuids (Noctuidae) part 2: Daggers, Small Yellow Underwing and Sharks

NOCTUIDS (NOCTUIDAE)


Reed Dagger Simyra albovenosa - None.  I've not recorded this species locally and I'm well away from the strongholds for this species so haven't really been expecting to.  However there have been a couple of records just down the road at Worthing so maybe there's a chance I will find it round here.


Alder Moth Acronicta alni - None.  I seem to be a bit unlucky with this species as I've only ever seen 2, and they weren't local.  It's common enough and is known to occur locally, so surely I'll find one locally some day.


Dark Dagger Acronicta tridens - None.  I've caught 2 here, in 2016 and 2017, but this seems to be very much scarcer than Grey Dagger.  I've gen detted some reasonable candidates for Dark Dagger that have turned out to be Grey.


Grey Dagger Acronicta psi - Having averaged 7 a year here over the previous 4 years it was a disappointment not to catch any in 2019.  2020 was a bit better with 4 between 1st and 12th August; also one at the meadows on 18th July.

male Grey Dagger, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 18th July 2020

male Grey Dagger, North Elmham, 1st August 2020

male Grey Dagger, North Elmham, 8th August 2020

female Grey Dagger, North Elmham, 12th August 2020

Sycamore Acronicta aceris - One at Weybourne on 5th July 2019 and one at the meadows on 7th July.   None at home, and none anywhere in 2020.  I've only ever caught this species at home 3 times, all in 2015.

Sycamore, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 7th July 2019

Miller Acronicta leporina - None.  I've caught these at home on 3 occasions (2015, 2016 and 2018).


Light Knot Grass Acronicta menyanthidis - One came straight in to the LED lights as soon as I put them on at Allt Mollach on Mull on 13th June 2019.  This was a lifer for me - the species that has an extremely restricted range within Norfolk (but is much commoner in Scotland).  Scottish specimens like this are of a paler subspecies than the ones that occur here in Norfolk.

Light Knot Grass, Allt Molach (Mull), 13th June 2019

Knot Grass Acronicta rumicis - One in the garden trap on 20th July 2019 and 5 here between 21st July and 13th August 2020.  I've recorded this species here each year since moving in but I'd not had more than 4 in a year before.  Elsewhere one at the meadows on 22nd August 2019 and 18th July and 7th August 2020. 

Knot Grass, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 22nd August 2019

Knot Grass, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 4th August 2020

Knot Grass, North Elmham, 13th August 2020

Poplar Grey Subacronicta megacephala - One in the garden trap on 2nd May 2019 was my earliest ever record.  That was the only one I caught at home that year and in 2020 I had 2, on 28th May and 14th June.  I had 16 in 2016 but that was exceptional - I've had 0-2 in every other year.  Elsewhere 4 at the meadows between 17th May and 18th July and one at Bintree Wood.  Although some examples are obvious I don't always find the identification of this species as easy as some recorders seem to - some examples of both Poplar Grey and Sycamore show reasonably prominent pale dorsal spots at the end of the cross-line such that there is overlap with Knot Grass in this character, and other characters seem to be quite variable and/or unclear.  With a few individuals I resort to dissection to satisfy myself the ID is correct, and although they now usually end up being what I thought they were, this wasn't always the case when I started doing this.

Poplar Grey, North Elmham, 2nd May 2019

Poplar Grey, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 17th May 2020

Poplar Grey, Bintree Wood, 13th June 2020

male Poplar Grey, North Elmham, 11th August 2020

Coronet Craniophora ligustri - None in 2019 but 4 caught in the garden between 6th and 15th August 2020.  Annual totals vary from 0-5 here.

Coronet, North Elmham, 6th August 2020

Small Yellow Underwing Panemeria tenebrata - A total of 8 at the meadows between 15th and 25th May 2019 (on 4 dates).  This was the second consecutive year they were found here in reasonable numbers (2018 was the first year the site was surveyed) but none were found in 2020.  Most were, as you would expect for a day-flying species, seen during the day but one was found by torchlight roosting on a leaf of the Apple tree.

Small Yellow Underwing, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 21st May 2019

Small Yellow Underwings, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 22nd May 2019

Shark Cucullia umbratica - None.  I've not yet found this species locally but it has been recorded in my road before so it's surely only a matter of time.


Chamomile Shark Cucullia chamomillae - None.  This must be one of the most common and widespread moths that I've never seen.  Hopefully I'll catch one someday and there's no reason why it shouldn't be local.


Mullein Cucullia verbasci - One caught in the garden on 23rd April 2020, my fifth here (the others all in 2016-17).  Otherwise only larvae seen, but these were easy to find on the Mullein plants along the railway at the meadows - up to 20 between 21st May and 21st June 2019 and up to 18 between 15th May and 26th June 2020 (when there was also 2-3 on a solitary plant at the chapel).  Covid may have helped this species in 2020 as the railway company usually spray the railway every year, completely destroying the Mullein before it flowers and while many of the caterpillars are still feeding.  Presumably the caterpillars are destroyed along with plants.  There was no spraying in 2020 though the company are apparently wanting to spray much earlier in 2021.

Mullein caterpillar, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 21st May 2019

Mullein caterpillars, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 6th June 2019

Mullein caterpillar, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 15th June 2019

Mullein caterpillars, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 21st June 2019

Mullein, North Elmham, 23rd April 2020

Next page: more Noctuidae

A slow week but still several new for the year

Best moth on Tuesday night was a Broken-barred Carpet, my first this year.  Also new for the year at home was a Shears.

Broken-barred Carpet, North Elmham, 24th May

Shears, North Elmham, 24th May

Other moths were Red Twin-spot Carpet, Mottled Pug, Brimstone Moth, Iron Prominent, Pale Prominent, White Ermine, 2 Muslin Moths, 2 Cinnabars, 2 Shuttle-shaped Darts, Flame Shoulder, Bright-line Brown-eye and Rustic Shoulder-knot.

Pale Prominent, North Elmham, 24th May

Iron Prominent, North Elmham, 24th May

Rustic Shoulder-knot, North Elmham, 24th May

Bright-line Brown-eye, North Elmham, 24th May

The only caddisflies were a Glyphotaelius pellucidus and 2 Limnephilus auricula.

There weren't many moths on Wednesday night but they included 3 more new for the year: Light Brocade, Grey Dagger and Clouded-bordered Brindle.

Light Brocade, North Elmham, 25th May

Grey Dagger (male, gen det), North Elmham, 25th May

Clouded-bordered Brindle, North Elmham, 25th May

Also Red Twin-spot Carpet, Common Pug, Waved Umber, Poplar Hawkmoth, Swallow Prominent, 3 Muslin Moths, 2 Cinnabars, 2 Shuttle-shaped Darts, Rustic Shoulder-knot, 5 Treble Lines and 2 Spectacles. A Garden Snail was my first at home (but I've only started identifying snails this year).

Thursday night was poor - just Common Pug, Waved Umber, 4 Muslin Moths, White Ermine, Shuttle-shaped Dart, Flame Shoulder, Treble Lines and Angle Shades.  Oh, and a Cockchafer and a Common Wasp.

A lunch break on Friday at Thornham only got me one moth (a Cocksfoot Moth Glyphipterix simpliciella) but also a Green Hairstreak butterfly, the first time I've seen one at Thornham.

Green Hairstreak, Thornham, 27th May

A number of other moth-ers reported another poor night on Friday but although I didn't get a huge number of moths, it wasn't all that bad for me.  Pointed Groundling Scrobipalpa acuminitella was new for the house while Yellow-faced Bell Notocelia cynosbatella, Garden Pebble Evergestis forficalis and Small Angle Shades were all new for the year.

Pointed Groundling Scrobipalpa acumintella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 27th May

Small Angle Shades, North Elmham, 27th May

Yellow-faced Bell Notocelia cynosbatella, North Elmham, 27th May

Garden Pebble Evergestis forficalis, North Elmham, 27th May

By the way, is this plant from Thornham earlier in the week a garden variety of Columbine, or am I missing something in my field guide?

Columbine variety?, Thornham, 23rd May

Vice county first and county second

The night of 10th July was the best yet.  At home I recorded 571 moths of 121 species - not bad for a tiny garden.  Among them were two new moths for me, a macro and a micro, both requiring gen detting to confirm so neither fully realised at the time.

The micro was moth of the night, a recent split that has only been recorded once before in Norfolk, and not at all in the western vice-county (VC28), Grey Aspen Bell Epinotia cinereana.  Externally it looked promising, but its sister species Grey Poplar Bell Epinotia nisella can look pretty much identical (I've had candidates before that have turned out to be nisella) so there was no way to be sure without dissecting it.  Well I finally got round to doing that, and with just 21 cornuti in its aedaegus (which translates as 21 spiky bits in its male sex organ) it was clearly cinereana: nisella has around 40.  Bit of a result.

Grey Aspen Bell Epinotia cinereana (male, gen det), North Elmham, 10th July

The macro would have gone down as just another Marbled Minor agg. if I wasn't able to dissect, the three species (Marbled, Tawny Marbled and Rufous) being impossible to separate on external features.  The first two have both proved to be common here but this one turned out to be my first Rufous Minor.  

Rufous Minor (male, gen det), North Elmham, 10th July

Two other macros that were new for the year also required dissection to identify: Grey Dagger and Lesser Common Rustic.

Grey Dagger (male, gen det), North Elmham, 10th July

Lesser Common Rustic (male, gen det), North Elmham, 10th July

A White-headed Ermel Paraswammerdamia albicapitella also needed gen detting, but only because it was such a worn and tatty specimen that there weren't enough scales left on it to identify from external features.  Others new for the year (at least for home) were more straightforward to identify: Crescent Groundling Teleiodes luculella, Holly Tortrix Rhopobota naevana, Bud Moth Spilonota ocellana, Pearl Veneer Agriphila straminella, 3 Dusky Pearls Udea prunalis, Twin-spot Carpet, Scalloped Oak, Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing and 3 Light Arches.

Twin-spot Carpet, North Elmham, 10th July

Light Arches, North Elmham, 10th July

Crescent Groundling Teleiodes luculella, North Elmham, 10th July

Bud Moth Spilonota ocellana, North Elmham, 10th July

Other macros were Chinese Character, Peach Blossom, Common Emerald, Small Blood-vein, 8 Small Fan-footed Waves, 5 Dwarf Cream Waves, 2 Small Dusty Waves, 6 Single-dotted Waves, 2 Treble Brown Spots, 12 Riband Waves, 5 Large Twin-spot Carpets, 2 Shaded Broad-bars, Common Carpet, 6 Barred Straws, Foxglove Pug, 5 Green Pugs, 6 Clouded Borders, 2 Brimstone Moths, 3 Early Thorns, Swallow-tailed Moth, 5 Peppered Moths, Willow Beauty, 4 Mottled Beauties, 3 Common White Waves, Common Wave, 5 Clouded Silvers, Light Emerald, Privet Hawkmoth, 4 Elephant Hawkmoths, Lesser Swallow Prominent, Coxcomb Prominent, 3 Buff-tips, 9 Rosy Footmen, Orange Footman, 3 Dingy Footmen, 7 Scarce Footmen, 39 Common Footmen, 9 Buff Ermines, 3 Short-cloaked Moths, Heart and Club, 2 Heart and Darts, 3 Flames, Flame Shoulder, 2 Large Yellow Underwings, 9 Double Square-spots, Dot Moth, 4 Bright-line Brown-eyes, Lychnis, 3 Clays, 11 Smoky Wainscots, Common Wainscot, Brown Rustic, 9 Dark Arches, 2 Common Rustics, 50 Uncertains, 5 Rustics, 3 Mottled Rustics, 2 Marbled White Spots, Cream-bordered Green Pea, 6 Burnished Brasses, 2 Spectacles, 10 Beautiful Hook-tips, 2 Straw Dots, 8 Snouts, 3 Fan-foots and 2 Small Fan-foots.

Cream-bordered Green Pea, North Elmham, 10th July

Privet Hawklmoth, North Elmham, 10th July

The rest of the micros were 6 Bird-cherry Ermines Yponomeuta evonymella, Diamond-back Moth Plutella xylostella, Tipped Oak Case-bearer Coleophora flavipennella, Meadow Case-bearer Coleophora mayrella, Grey Rush Case-bearer Coleophora glaucicolella, Little Dwarf Elachista canapennella, New Tawny Tubic Batia lunaris, Golden-brown Tubic Crassa unitella, Small Dingy Tubic Borkhausenia fuscescens, 2 Brown House-moths Hofmannophila pseudospretella, 4 Burdock Nebs Metzneria lappella, 4 Cinereous Groundlings Bryotropha terrella, Gorse Crest Brachmia blandella, 4 Hook-marked Straw Moths Agapeta hamana, 8 Large Fruit-tree Tortrices Archips podana, Timothy Tortrix Aphelia paleana, 3 Privet Tortrices Clepsis consimilana, 3 Large Ivy Tortrices Lozotaenia forsterana, 3 Red-barred Tortrices Ditula angustiorana, 8 Grey Tortrices Cnephasia stephensiana (plus 2 Cnephasia sp.), 5 Barred Marbles Celypha striana, 13 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, 4 Marbled Orchard Tortrices Hedya nubiferana, 4 Triangle-marked Rollers Ancylis achatana, 2 Crescent Bells Epinotia bilunana, 2 Common Cloaked Shoots Gypsonoma dealbana, 2 Triple-blotched Bells Notocelia trimaculana, White-foot Bell Epiblema foenella, Hoary Bell Eucosma cana, Many-plumed Moth Alucita hexadactyla, 96 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, 2 Grass-veneers Crambus pascuella, 2 Yellow Satin Veneers Crambus perlella, 5 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis, 18 Little Greys Eudonia lacustrata, 6 Small Greys Eudonia mercurella, Beautiful China-mark Nymphula stagnata, 9 Small Magpies Eurrhypara hortulata, 2 Elder Pearls Anania coronata, 2 Bee Moths Aphomia sociella and Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla.

Triangle-marked Roller Ancylis achatana, North Elmham, 10th July

Grey Tortrix Cnephasia stephensiana (female, gen det), North Elmham, 10th July

Summer Chafer, North Elmham, 10th July