Review of 2019 and 2020 - Brown Lacewings (Hemerobiidae) and Sponge Flies (Sisyridae)

BROWN LACEWINGS (HEMEROBIIDAE)


Hemerobius humulinus - 10 recorded in my garden in 2019, exactly the same number that I recorded in 2018 and slightly more than in 2017.  The first on 7th April was found on my patio doors (not attracted to indoor lights as they hadn't been on) and the rest were in the moth trap between 28th June and 7th September.  The early one was much more strongly marked than the others.  A poor year in 2020 produced 3 here between 4th and 21st August and one at the meadows on 16th September.

Hemerobius humulinus, North Elmham, 7th April 2019

Hemerobius humulinus, North Elmham, 28th June 2019

Hemerobius humulinus, North Elmham, 4th August 2020

Hemerobius humulinus, North Elmham, 12th August 2020

Hemerobius humulinus, North Elmham, 21st August 2020

Hemerobius humulinus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 16th September 2020

Hemerobius lutescens - Singles at the meadows on 21st and 25th May 2019 then 11 recorded at home (mostly in the garden moth trap) between 25th May and 29th September.  A poor showing compared to 2018 when I recorded 38 here.  2020 was a little better with 18 in the garden moth trap between 31st July and 22nd September.  I think 3 larvae found on a gatepost at the meadows on 12th October 2019 may have been this species but I am not certain.

Hemerobius lutesecens, North Elmham, 25th May 2019

Hemerobius lutesecens, North Elmham, 10th August 2019

possible Hemerobius lutesecens larva, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 12th October 2019

Hemerobius lutesecens, North Elmham, 31st July 2020

Hemerobius lutesecens, North Elmham, 14th August 2020

Hemerobius lutesecens, North Elmham, 19th August 2020

Hemerobius marginatus - None.  I've never seen this species and it doesn't seem to be very common in Norfolk, but I've found rarer species so must be in with at least half a chance of finding this one.


Hemerobius micans - Caught in the garden moth trap on 26th July 2019 and 11th June and 22nd August 2020.  This species is normally scarcer here than the previous two species.  Elsewhere netted at the meadows on 22nd May 2019 and 28th September 2020.

Hemerobius micans, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 22nd May 2019

Hemerobius micans, North Elmham, 26th July 2019

Hemerobius micans, North Elmham, 11th June 2020

Hemerobius micans, North Elmham, 27th August 2020

Hemerobius micans, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 28th September 2020

Hemerobius nitidulus - None.  I caught one in my garden in August 2018 but it's a species with only a handful of records in Norfolk.


Hemerobius pini - I found my first of these along a forest path near Salen on Mull on 12th June 2019.  There is, or at least in 2016 there was, only a single record of this species in Norfolk.

Hemerobius pini, south of Salen, 12th June 2019

Hemerobius stigma - One at Weybourne on 5th July 2019 was only my second example of this species following one in my garden the previous August.  None here in 2019 but individuals caught in the moth trap on 30th and 31st August 2020.

Hemerobius stigma, Weybourne, 5th July 2019

Hemerobius stigma, North Elmham, 30th August 2020

Hemerobius stigma, North Elmham, 31st August 2020

Micromus paganus - None.  I caught 2 of these at different sites in 2016 but haven't had any since.  This is one I ought to find more often.


Micromus variegatus - A total of 33 recorded in my garden moth trap between 11th July and 3rd September 2019.  These included an impressive count of 15 on what was an excellent night for green lacewings, but not for other brown lacewings, 25th July.  Even with this good night, the total was lower than in 2018 when I caught 55 at home.  Given those numbers it was disappointing to only catch 6 in 2020, between 8th July and 15th August.  Elsewhere 3 next door and one at Swanton Great Wood, all in August 2019.  I used to think this was the easiest of the common brown lacewings to identify and began to identify them in the field without taking them in for closer examination, but then I discovered some photos of Psectra diptera online which look extremely similar (e.g. on NatureSpot which is usually quite a reliable site for IDs) - so now I'm back to examining them all carefully.

Micromus variegatus, North Elmham, 8th July 2020

Psectra diptera - None.  I've never seen this sepcies but it sounds like it might be reasonably common, just not found by the sort of approaches I usually employ (like light trapping).


Sympherobius fuscescens - None.  I've never seen this species but although it's relatively scarce there are a handful of Norfolk records so must be a possibility.


Sympherobius pellucidus - A male in my garden moth trap on 29th May 2019 was the first record for Norfolk.

Sympherobius pellucidus, North Elmham, 29th May (showing forewing in second and third photos and the partially cleared tip of the abdomen in the last photo)

Sympherobius pygmaeus - None.  I caught one here in 2018 but it's rarely recorded in Norfolk (2 records prior to 2016) - not sure if mine was the third or not.


Wesmaelius concinnus - None.  I've never found this species but there are a handful of records in Norfolk.


Wesmaelius nervosus - Singles caught in my garden moth trap on 24th July 2019 and 18th July and 16th September 2020.  Also one to light at Swanton Great Wood on 27th August 2019.  I'd only recorded one here before, in 2018. 

Wesmaelius nervosus, North Elmham, 24th July 2019

Wesmaelius nervosus, Swanton Great Wood, 27th August 2019

Wesmaelius nervosus, North Elmham, 18th July 2020 (showing tip of abdomen)

Wesmaelius nervosus, North Elmham, 16th September 2020 (showing tip of abdomen)

Wesmaelius subnebulosus - None.  I've only caught this species here once, in 2017.  Sounds like this species tends to crop up more in more urban situations.



This larva is completely unidentified - I guess it's most likely one of the Brown Lacewings but if anyone can help narrow it down please shout.

unidentified (?Brown) lacewing larva, Titchwell, 1st June 2019

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SPONGE FLIES (SISYRIDAE)


Sisyra fuscata - Singles caught in my garden moth trap on 11th and 24th July 2019 and then on 4 dates between 17th July and 7th August 2020.  I have previously caught this species here in June 2017 and July 2018.  I think this is the only species of Sponge Fly to have been recorded in Norfolk (it is also known as Sisyra nigra).

male Sisyra fuscata, North Elmham, 24th July 2019

female Sisyra fuscata, North Elmham, 17th July 2020

male Sisyra fuscata, North Elmham, 23rd July 2020

Return to Lacewings index here

Lacewing larvae and other interesting insects

On 18th July I spent the evening at the meadows where I found a few insects worth noting.  Butterflies included 2 Purple Hairstreaks.  Bugs included Hairy Shieldbug, a couple of Potato Capsids Closterotomus norwegicus and my first Field Damsel Bug Nabis ferus.  Also the leafhopper Alebra albostriella.

Hairy Shieldbug, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 18th July

Potato Capsid Bugs Clostertomus norwegicus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 18th July

Field Damsel Bug Nabis ferus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 18th July

Alebra albostriella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 18th July

There were a couple more Broom Leaf Beetles on the Broom:

Broom Leaf Beetle, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 18th July

I took home a couple of lacewings to check their ID - the green one was Dichrochrysa flavifrons and the brown one was Hemerobius micans.  I didn't get to them straight away and by the time I did the Dichochrysa must have laid egss and these had already hatched, as there were one or two larvae running around in the pot with it.  Interesting to see these without a covering of debris as they would have if they were in the wild.

Dichochrysa flavifrons, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 18th July

Dichochrysa flavifrons larva, 30th July (from above adult caught North Elmham Cathedral Meadows on 18th July)

Hemerobius micans, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 18th July

I stayed at the meadows until dark fell and looked for moths with my torch around dusk, finding 2 Clover Case-bearers Coleophora alcyonipennella, Orange Crest Helcystogramma rufescens, Knapweed Conch Agapeta zoegana, Common Marble Celypha lacunana, White-foot Bell Epiblema foenella, Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteuchia culmella, 40 Straw Grass-veneers Agriphila straminella, Common Grass-veneer Agriphila tristella, Pearl Grass-veneer Catoptria pinella, 2 Pale Straw Pearls Udea lutealis, 9 Six-spot Burnets, Least Carpet, 2 Small Fan-footed Waves, 2 Yellow Shells, Dingy Footman and Silver Y. Also a Common Blue butterfly roosting.

Least Carpet, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 18th July

Six-spot Burnet, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 18th July

Common Blue, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 18th July

I'd also found a leaf-mine on an Apple that I suspect belonged to Pear-leaf Blister Moth Leucoptera malifoliella.  My photo didn't come out very well though and I'm not entirely sure, and couldn't find it again when I returned later on.  That's a species of moth I've not seen before so I'll have to look out for these again next year.

Quite a few moths at home that night too, with over 400 moths of 98 species, 7 of which were new for the year: Spotted Black Pigmy Ectoedemia subbimaculella*, Bordered Carl Coptotriche marginea, Sloe Midget Phyllonorycter spinicolella, Obscure Neb Bryotropha similis, Brown Elm Bell Epinotia abbreviana, 2 Ear Moths and Fen Wainscot. 

*I won't formally record the Ectoedemia subbimaculella because heringi and hannoverella can be very similar on external and internal features, so I do not consider the identification to be 100% positive.  Indeed I have recently deleted my three records of Ectoedemia hannoverella from last year which I now consider were more likely to be subbimaculella.  It may be possible to separate these on genitalia but from the images on the Dissection Group website I am not clear which differences, if any, are reliable.

probable Spotted Black Pigmy Ectoedemia subbimaculella, North Elmham, 18th July

Sloe Midget Phyllonorycter spinicollela (female, gen det), North Elmham, 18th July

Obscure Neb Bryotropha similis (male, gen det), North Elmham, 18th July

Ear Moth (male, gen det), North Elmham, 18th July

Fen Wainscot, North Elmham, 18th July

The other moths were 2 Bird’s-nest Moths Tinea trinotella, Beech Midget Phyllonorycter maestingella, 10 Bird-cherry Ermines Yponomeuta evonymella, Ermine sp. Yponomeuta padella/malinellus/cagnagella, Hawthorn Ermine Paraswammerdamia nebulella, Little Dwarf Elachista canapennella, Golden-brown Tubic Crassa unitella, 2 Small Dingy Tubics Borkhausenia fuscescens, 2 Brown House Moths Hofmannophila pseudospretella, Cinerous Neb Bryotropha terrella, Gorse Crest Brachmia blandella, 3 Orange Crests Helcystogramma rufescens, Four-spotted Obscure Oegoconia quadripuncta (and another Oegoconia sp. that got away), 2 Dingy Dowds Blastobasis adustella, Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix Pandemis heparana, Red-barred Tortrix Ditula angustiorana, Grey Tortrix Cnephasia stephensiana, Flax Tortrix Cnephasia asseclana, 2 Garden Rose Tortrixes Acleris variegana, Common Marble Celypha lacunana, Nut-bud Moth Epinotia tenerana, Holly Tortrix Rhopobota naevana, 2 Hoary Bells Eucosma cana, 2 Many-plume Moths Alucita hexadactyla, 4 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, 2 Inlaid Grass-veneers Crambus pascuella, 202 Straw Grass-veneers Agriphila straminella, 2 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, 2 Pearl Grass-veneers Catoptria pinella, Chequered Grass-veneer Catoptria falsella, 2 Water Veneers Acentria ephemerella, 2 Little Greys Eudonia lacustrata, 2 Small Greys Eudonia mercurella, Ringed China-mark Parapoynx stratiotata, 3 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, Elder Pearl Anania coronata, Pale Straw Pearl Udea lutealis, 9 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, Rosy Tabby Endotricha flammealis, Bee Moth Aphomia sociella, Grey Knot-horn Acrobasis advenella, Dotted Oak Knot-horn Phycita roborella, 3 Ash-bark Knot-horns Euzophera pinguis, Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla, Chinese Character, 4 Least Carpets, 14 Small Fan-footed Waves, 7 Single-dotted Waves, 7 Riband Waves, Red Twin-spot Carpet, Large Twin-spot Carpet, Shaded Broad-bar, 2 July Highflyers, Small Rivulet, 2 Slender Pugs, Currant Pug, V-Pug, 3 Double-striped Pugs, 6 Clouded Borders, 3 Brimstone Moths, 2 Early Thorns, 2 Scalloped Oaks, Peppered Moth, 5 Willow Beauties, Elephant Hawk-moth, Coxcomb Prominent, 6 Yellow-tails, 2 Rosy Footmen, 13 Dingy Footmen, 8 Scarce Footmen, 28 Common Footmen, 3 Buff Ermines, 2 Ruby Tigers, 6 Double Square-spots, Dot Moth, Antler Moth, Clay, 5 Smoky Wainscots, Common Wainscot, 2 Knot Grasses, 2 Dun-bars, 6 Dark Arches, Cloaked Minor, 4 Common Rustics, Dusky Sallow, 23 Uncertains, 3 Rustics, 2 Nut-tree Tussocks, Beautiful Hook-tip, 2 Snouts and 2 Fan-foots.

Slender Pug, North Elmham, 18th July

A new species of caddisfly is always noteworthy nowadays and there was one in the trap this night: Hydropsyche instabilis.   There were also Hydropsyche pellucidula, Mottled Sedge Glyphotaelius pellucidus and Limnephilus marmoratus.

Hydropsyche instabilis (female), North Elmham, 18th July

There was also a new bug for me, Macrotylus horvathi.

Macrotylus horvathi, North Elmham, 18th July

And also a new barkfly, Metylophorus nebulosus, making it an altogether very successful night's trapping.

Metylophorus nebulosus, North Elmham, 18th July

There were also 3 Blue-winged Olives Serratella ignita, and beetles included Nicrophorus investigator and Orange Ladybird.