Review of 2019 and 2020 - Moths: Noctuids (Noctuidae) part 8: Chestnuts and allies, Pale Pinion and Shoulder-knots

NOCTUIDS (NOCTUIDAE) (continued)


Beaded Chestnut Agrochola lychnidis - Totals of 37 caught here between 20th September and 5th November 2019 and 24 between 18th September and 19th October 2020, my worst years yet (although the 2020 total was reduced by me being away for a few nights in early October).  Plotting my annual totals here gives me a smooth downward curve from the 84 here in 2014.  Elsewhere 79 over 7 nights in Cornwall in early October 2020 and 2 at the meadows on 8th November 2020.

Beaded Chestnut, North Elmham, 18th September 2020

Beaded Chestnuts, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 8th November 2020

Brown-spot Pinion Agrochola litura - Singles in the garden on 3 consecutive nights 2nd to 4th October 2019.  I caught 30 of these in 2014 but in the 5 years since then I've only caught 19 in total; 2020 was my first year without catching any at all.

Brown-spot Pinion, North Elmham, 2nd October 2019

Flounced Chestnut Agrochola helvola - None.  I first saw this species in 2017 and that remains the only one I've caught here.


Red-line Quaker Agrochola lota - Totals of 10 in the garden between 2nd October and 2nd November 2019 and 24 between 22nd September (my earliest ever) and 7th November 2020.  I've averaged about 11 a year here and 2020's total was my highest ever, and included my best count of 4 on 20th October.

Red-line Quaker, North Elmham, 2nd October 2019

Yellow-line Quaker Agrochola macilenta - Totals of 22 in the garden between 14th October and 27th November 2019, the last being my latest ever, and 17 between 17th October and 15th November 2020.  These totals were a fair bit below the average annual total of over 35.  Singles seen at the meadows on 5 dates from 4th October 2019.

Yellow-line Quaker, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 4th October 2019

Brick Agrochola circellaris - None here in 2019 but 5 between 2nd and 13th November 2020.  I've had poor years before (e.g. just one in 2016) but 2019 was my first complete blank.  I've caught up to 12 here in a year, averaging at 5.  Elsewhere 9 at the meadows on 4 dates (mostly on Ivy) including 5 on 4th October 2019. 

Bricks, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 4th October 2019

Brick, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 28th September 2020

Brick, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 30th October 2020

Lunar Underwing Omphaloscelis lunosa - Totals of 360 caught in my garden between 10th September and 14th October 2019 and 348 between 8th September and 20th October 2020, both over my average annual tally of 282.  Elsewhere 316 in Cornwall in the first week of October (including 92 at our Tresidder cottage on 8th October).  Incredibly, I haven't managed to find this species at the meadows yet.

Lunar Underwing, Tresidder (Cornwall), 7th October 2020

Chestnut Conistra vaccinii - My best years for this species at home with 58 up to 27th March  2019 and then 17 from 1st October to the year end, 27 up to 10th April 2020 and then 66 from 29th September to the year end (including a record 8 on 16th October).  The totals of 75 and 93 compare with an average annual total of less than 60.  At the meadows recorded on 12 nights with a total of 24.  The record at home on 29th September 2020 and 4 at the meadows the same night were my earliest autumn records ever.  So far 2021 is shaping up to be another excellent year for this species.

Chestnut, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 22nd March 2019

Chestnut, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 22nd April 2019

Chestnut, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 4th October 2019

Chestnut, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 8th March 2020

Chestnuts, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 29th September 2020 (the second being a confirmed male)

Dark Chestnut Conistra ligula - 5 caught in the garden in the first winter period of 2019, up to 23rd February, then 4 in the autumn between 21st October and 24th November followed by one on 13th February 2020.  5 between 2nd October (my earliest ever) and 21st December 2020.  I average just under 7 a year here.  Elsewhere one at the meadows on 4th October 2019 and one in Cornwall in October 2020.  I find some Conistra quite difficult to be certain about and so dissect a few of the trickier individuals to confirm - the results suggest I'm being over-cautious as my suspected ID nearly always proves right, but I do occasionally get it wrong and sometimes think these are over-simplified, especially with worn examples.

Dark Chestnut, North Elmham, 22nd February 2019

Dark Chestnut, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 4th October 2019

female Dark Chestnut, North Elmham, 13th February 2020

female Dark Chestnut, North Elmham, 2nd October 2020

male Dark Chestnut, North Elmham, 16th October 2020

male Dark Chestnut, North Elmham, 21st December 2020

Dotted Chestnut Conistra rubiginea - None at home in either year.  This species has very recently colonised Norfolk and is still spreading - I caught my first here in 2016 and a second in 2018.  Elsewhere one at Cranwich Heath on 14th March 2020.

Dotted Chestnut, Cranwich Heath, 14th March 2020

Tawny Pinion Lithophane semibrunnea - None.  This is a scarce species and I've never seen one, but it's pretty widespread so I remain optimistic that one will land in my trap sometime.


Pale Pinion Lithophane socia - Singles in my garden on 26th March 2019 (my earliest ever record) and 1st April 2020.  The 2019 individual had one wing very much shorter than the other.  This species isn't quite annual here though I average one a year.

Pale Pinion, North Elmham, 26th March 2019

Pale Pinion, North Elmham, 1st April 2020

Grey Shoulder-knot Lithophane ornitopus - singles caught in my garden on 17th October and 4th November 2019 and 18th October 2020.  1-2 a year is normal though numbers have varied from 0 to 4.

Grey Shoulder-knot, North Elmham, 17th October 2019

Grey Shoulder-knot, North Elmham, 4th November 2019

Grey Shoulder-knot, North Elmham, 18th October 2020

Blair's Shoulder-knot Lithophane leautieri - One trapped in the garden on 28th October 2019.  This recent colonist seemed to be going from strength to strength at the time I moved here and I caught 22 in my first autumn (2014).  Since then it slumped - I caught 4 in each of the next 2 years, 3 in 2017 and none in 2018 or 2020.  A temporary dip, as in the usual peak-and-trough cycle of insect populations, or a long-term trend signalling the end of a temporary colonisation?  Time will tell, but I suspect the former.

Blair's Shoulder-knot, North Elmham, 28th October 2019

Next page: more Noctuidae

Sprawling Sprawlers and the last of the Turnips

The best moth of the night of 25th October was a Grey Shoulder-knot, my first autumn example since 2014.  The Shoulder-knot I expect to see in October is Blair's Shoulder-knot but in 2018 I didn't catch a single one.

Grey Shoulder-knot, North Elmham, 25th October

Other things were 6 Narrow-winged Greys Eudonia angustea, Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla, 2 November Moths, 3 Pale November Moths, Feathered Thorn, 2 Sprawlers, 2 Green-brindled Crescents, Yellow-line Quaker and the caddisfly Mottled Sedge Glyphotaelius pellucidus.

There were only 3 moths the following night: 2 Narrow-winged Greys Eudonia angustea and Yellow-line Quaker.  The following day was very windy and that night there were just 2 Pale November Moths, and then on 28th Narrow-winged Grey Eudonia angustea and Pale November Moth.

On 29th there was a Merveille du Jour and 2 Yellow-line Quakers and the low numbers continued with Narrow-winged Grey Eudonia angustea, Feathered Thorn and the caddisfly Brown Sedge Anabolia nervosa on 30th.

There was a bit more on 31st including an unprecedented count of 10 Pale November Moths.  Others were 2 November Moths, a female November Moth agg., Feathered Thorn, Mottled Umber, White-point, 2 Sprawlers, Satellite, Yellow-line Quaker, the caddisflies Limnephilus lunatus and Limnephilus vittatus and the mirid bug Pinalitus cervinus.

The following night there were November Moth, 3 Pale November Moths, Feathered Thorn, Sprawler, 2 Green-brindled Crescents, Brick, the green lacewing Chrysoperla carnea and the mirid bug Pinalitus cervinus.

A wander round the Cathedral Meadows on 2nd November turned up a few bits and pieces.  The White Willow still held at least one Willow Flea Beetle Crepidodera aurata and also had the leafhopper Lindbergina aurovittata.

Lindbergiana aurovittata, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 2nd November

A quick sweep of the Broom produced 3 Broom Psyllids Arytaina genistae, the barklouse Ectopsocus petersi and a new weevil for me, Pirapion immune. Apparently the latter is more commonly recorded on Gorse - well, there is a little bit of gorse amongst the Broom, and a fair bit more only a little distance away.

Pirapion immune, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 2nd November

Ectopsocus petersi, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 2nd November

Found a few occupied leafmines in fallen Oak leaves along the railway including 3 Five-spot Pigmies Ectoedemia quinquella (in one leaf) and White-banded Pigmy Ectoedemia albifasciella.

occupied leadfmines of Five-spot Pigmies Ectoedemia quinquella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 2nd November

occupied leadfmine of White-banded Pigmy Ectoedemia albifasciella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 2nd November

I found these galls on Goat/Grey Willow leaves but can't quite make up my mind if they are made by the fly Iteomyia capreaea or the mite Aculus laevis.  I didn't have the gall book at the time and I didn't retain the leaf for checking more detail.  Hopefully I'll find them again this year.

unidentified galls, apparently either Iteomyia capreae or Aculus laevis, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 2nd November

That night there were 2 Sprawlers and a Yellow-line Quaker in the garden moth trap.

I think this harvestman that I photographed in the house must be Leiobunum blackwalli, the first I've identified.

Leiobunum blackwalli, North Elmham, 3rd November

A few more moths in the trap that night, but not much variety: 3 Feathered Thorns, 7 Sprawlers and a Chestnut.

The following night the moth trap produced my first new moths for the year for over 2 weeks, 2 December Moths.

December Moths, North Elmham, 4th November

It wasn't a bad catch by November standards with 4 Narrow-winged Greys Eudonia angustea, Mallow, 2 November Moths, 3 Pale November Moths, 9 Feathered Thorns, Mottled Umber, Turnip Moth, 15 Sprawlers, 2 Green-brindled Crescents, Chestnut, Brick and Yellow-line Quaker.

Sprawler, North Elmham, 4th November

An early morning walk round the meadows didn't produce much on 5th - a 7-spot Ladybird being the only non-avian thing I noted.  But I went back after dark with the headtorch and found a few bits and pieces. I could hear what I suspected was a Dark Bush-cricket as I walked down the track and whereas previous attempts to find calling bush-crickets had not fared well this one did eventually give itself up.  It was indeed a Dark Bush-cricket.

Dark Bush-cricket, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 5th November

It was a little too cold for most insects but I did find a couple of Feathered Thorns and the ground beetle Harpalus affinis.  I also noted Walnut Orb Weaver Nuctenea umbratica, Common Shiny Woodlouse Oniscus asellus and White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger.

Feathered Thorn, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 5th November

Harpalus affinis, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 5th November

That night the garden moth trap produced 15 Sprawlers again...

15 Sprawlers, North Elmham, 5th November

It was a good year for Turnip Moths.  I never do very well for this species compared to many other moth trappers.  My previous best year here was a total of 13 individuals in 2015, with just 4 in 2016 and only one or two in 2017.  On 5th November I recorded my last of 2018 - my 51st individual, so about 4 times more than my previous best.

Turnip Moth, North Elmham, 5th November

Other things that night included Garden Midget Phyllonorycter messaniella, London Dowd Blastobasis lacticolella, 5 Narrow-winged Greys Eudonia angustea, Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla, 3 Pale November Moths, 4 other November Moth aggs. (3 unidentifiable females and a male that seemed intermediate but I felt was most likely an extreme Pale), 6 Feathered Thorns, 2 Shuttle-shaped Darts, White-point, Green-brindled Crescent, Yellow-line Quaker, 2 of the green lacewing Chrysoperla carnea and 2 of the caddisfly Limnephilus lunatus.

There were 15 Sprawlers for the third consecutive night on 6th - I don't think they were the same moths both nights, at least there was certainly a fair bit of change-over with the other insects.  Other moths were Narrow-winged Grey Eudonia angustea, December Moth, November Moth, 4 Pale November Moths, 7 Feathered Thorns, Mottled Umber, Shuttle-shaped Dart, 2 White-points, Green-brindled Crescent, Chestnut and Yellow-line Quaker. Non-moths included 2-3 of the green lacewings Chrysoperla carnea, the caddisflies Limnephilus affinis and 3 Limnephilus lunatus, the bugs Lygus pratensis and Pinalitus cervinus, an Edwardsiana leafhopper sp. and the barkfly Ectopsocus briggsi.

A Dark Chestnut the following night was my first of the year, belatedly perhaps.

Dark Chestnut, North Elmham, 7th November

Apart from the Orchard Ermine Yponomeuta padella complex, which cannot be identified on external features or genitalia, and apart from female Epirrita spp., it's pretty unusual nowadays for me to catch a moth that I cannot identify one way or another.  But here's one I'm not entirely sure about.  Once I would have seen the strongly pale-edged median band and the dark lines delineating some of the cells within the median band and called it a Spruce Carpet, but it's not as easy as that.  Apparently Grey Pine Carpet can be as grey and contrasty as this, and as it doesn't have much of a postmedian line I think that has to remain in the frame.  I kept hold of it, hoping it would be a male so I could check its antennae (males of the two species have different-shaped segments of the antennae) but alas it's a female.  I suspect some people would call this one way or the other, and if you know what you're talking about and are convinced it is identifiable then please let me know, but for now I shall leave it unidentified.

Spruce or Grey Pine Carpet (female), North Elmham, 7th November

Other moths were Diamond-back Plutella xylostella, 3 Narrow-winged Greys Eudonia angustea, Pale November Moth, 6 Sprawlers, 2 Bricks and 2 Yellow-line Quakers. There was also a green Llacewing Chrysoperla carnea agg., 5 of the caddisfly Limnephilus lunatus and the barkfly Graphopsocus cruciatus in the trap and a Common Heart-shield beetle Nebria brevicollis on the ground.

Graphopsocus cruciatus, North Elmham, 7th November

Common Heart-shield Nebria brevicollis, North Elmham, 7th November