Review of 2019 and 2020 - Caddisflies: Goeridae, Lepidostomidae and part 1 of Limnephilidae

Family GOERIDAE


Medium Sedge Goera pilosa - A total of 8 in the garden trap between 23rd June and 30th July 2019 and 11 between 17th June and 8th August 2020; also one at the meadows on 22nd August 2019.

male Medium Sedge Goera pilosa, North Elmham, 23rd June 2019

female Medium Sedges Goera pilosa, North Elmham, 10th July 2019

female Medium Sedge Goera pilosa, North Elmham, 24th July 2019

female Medium Sedge Goera pilosa, North Elmham, 17th June 2020

female Medium Sedge Goera pilosa, North Elmham, 20th June 2020

Silo nigricornis - None.  There are loads of records of this species in Norfolk so it is perhaps surprising that I haven't come across it yet.

Silo pallipes - Female in the garden trap on 10th July 2019 and 25th June 2020.  I'd caught this species twice before, both in 2017.

female Silo pallipes, North Elmham, 10th July 2019

female Silo pallipes, North Elmham, 25th June 2020

-----------------------------------

Family LEPIDOSTOMATIDAE


Crunoecia irrorata - Singles caught in the garden on 21st July and 25th August 2019 and 18th and 31st July 2020.  Also a male netted between Carsaig and Rubha Dubh on Mull on 10th June 2019.

male Crunoecia irrorata, between Carsaig and Rubha Dubh (Mull), 10th June 2019

male Crunoecia irrorata, North Elmham, 21st July 2019

female Crunoecia irrorata, North Elmham, 25th August 2019

male Crunoecia irrorata, North Elmham, 18th July 2020 - showing distinctive genital capsule

female Crunoecia irrorata, North Elmham, 31st July 2020

Small Silver Sedge Lepidostoma hirtum - 3 caught in the garden on consecutive nights 27th to 29th August 2019 and 6 between 14th August and 8th September; elsewhere one at Swanton Great Wood on 27th August 2019 and 2 at the meadows on 8th September 2020.  All 12 were females and I didn't alwasys find it easy to eliminate Lepidostoma basale (although as far as I know that species doesn't occur in East Anglia).  The Barnard and Ross Handbook points to a single feature on its diagrams of the genitalia, the shape of the subgenital plate, and on at least a few individuals (especially the first one in 2020) this looked better for basale.  But there are other differences in the diagrams, although when they're not arrowed or drawn attention to in the text I'm never sure if these are differences between the species or just differences between the specimens used as a basis for the diagram.  Anyway, hirtum is illustrated with wide shoulders (not a technical term!) before the tip of the abdomen, and all mine shared this characteristic - the basale diagram in the Handbook shows much less of a step.  When I first encountered this problem I found a photo of hirtum genitalia online that looked similar (I can't find it now - maybe it was on the defunct website but I thought it was more recent than that), so given basale is so unlikely here I think it's safe to call them all hirtum.  Photos of the genitalia of the most troublesome individual are below, along with a more straightforward one.  Please let me know if you disagree.

female Small Silver Sedge Lepidostoma hirtum, Swanton Great Wood, 27th August 2019

female Small Silver Sedge Lepidostoma hirtum, North Elmham, 28th August 2019

female Small Silver Sedge Lepidostoma hirtum, North Elmham, 29th August 2019

presumed female Small Silver Sedge Lepidostoma hirtum, North Elmham, 14th August 2020 - showing what looks like a very flat rounded tip to the subgenital plate (as on L basale); this happened to be the first time I've found the corpus bursae on a caddisfly - the ductus bursae is very thin and delicate so I assume this normally breaks and gets lost during the preparation (as far as I know this isn't helpful for identification but was of interest to me

female Small Silver Sedge Lepidostoma hirtum, North Elmham, 24th August 2020 - this one shows a subgenital plate with a longer more narrowly rounded tip as I would expect on L hirtum

female Small Silver Sedge Lepidostoma hirtum, North Elmham, 30th August 2020

female Small Silver Sedge Lepidostoma hirtum, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 8th September 2020

-----------------------------------

Family APATANIIDAE


Apatania muliebris - None.  Judging from the NBN Atlas maps this species occurs in the Wensum Valley but I've not come across it here or anywhere else yet.

-----------------------------------

Family LIMNEPHILIDAE


Drusus annulatus - None.  The NBN Atlas maps indicate that this species has occurred nearby but I haven't found it yet.


Brown Sedge Anabolia nervosa - One caught in the garden on 22nd October 2019 and 4 between 21th and 21st October (I had caught 8 here in 2018).  Elsewhere 2 caught at the meadows on 12th October and 4 there on 1st November 2019 and 2 at Stiffkey on 16th October 2020.  The other member of this genus, Anabolia brevipennis, occurs in Norfolk but there are no records on the NBN Atlas for the Wensum Valley area.

male Brown Sedge Anabolia nervosa, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 12th October 2019

male Brown Sedge Anabolia nervosa, North Elmham, 21st October 2019

male Brown Sedge Anabolia nervosa, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 1st November 2019

Brown Sedge Anabolia nervosa, North Elmham, 12th October 2020<

Brown Sedge Anabolia nervosa, Stiffkey, 16th October 2020

Mottled Sedge Glyphotaelius pellucidus - A total of 56 between 1st May 31st October 2019 and 39 between 8th May and 29th October 2020.  A total of 22 at the meadows on 7 dates including 15 on 25th May 2020 and elsewhere singles at Swanton Great Wood, Row Heath (West Runton), Whitwell Street and Tresidder (in Cornwall).  My records of this species show two clear peaks, one from May to early June and one from late July to October (especially late August to late September) but I've had a few odd records throughout the diapause in June-July.

Mottled Sedge Glyphotaelius pellucidus, North Elmham, 1st May 2019

Mottled Sedge Glyphotaelius pellucidus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May 2019

Mottled Sedge Glyphotaelius pellucidus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 15th May 2020

Grammotaulius nigropunctatus - Singles caught in the garden trap on 12th September 2019 and 11th and 23rd April 2020 (I'd had 3-4 in each of the previous 3 years).  Also one at Hills and Holes on 21st May 2020.  There are no records of the much scarcer Grammotaulius nitidus showing in the NBN Atlas for the Wensum Valley although it does occur in the Broads and has been recorded in the Norwich area.

male Grammotaulius nigropunctatus, North Elmham, 12th September 2019

male Grammotaulius nigropunctatus, Hills and Holes, 21st May 2020

Next page: more Limnephilidae

Or return to Caddisfly index

A good year for Bordered Beauties

Another White-bodied Conch Cochylis hybridella was probably the best moth on 20th August.  The species has only recently become established in the county and all four of my own records have been in the last couple of years.

White-bodied Conch Cochylis hybridella, North Elmham, 20th August

An Ash-bud Moth Prays fraxinella was new for the year here.

Ash-bud Moth Prays fraxinella, North Elmham, 20th August

This Bordered Beauty was my 7th here this year, a fantastic tally for a moth that I'd only ever seen that many times before, and only twice before in the garden.  It's a great-looking moth so a good year of them was very much appreciated.

Bordered Beauty, North Elmham, 20th August

Other moths were Blackthorn Slender Parornix torquillella, Firethorn Leaf-miner Phyllonorycter leucographella, 6 Golden Argents Argyresthia goedartella, White-headed Ermine Paraswammerdamia albicapitella, Diamond-back Plutella xylostella, Long-horned Flat-body Carcina quercana, House Neb Bryotropha domestica, Common Yellow Conch Agapeta hamana, 3 Light Brown Apple-moths Epiphyas postvittana, 2 Garden Rose Tortrixes Acleris variegana, 9 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Birch Marble Apotomis betuletana, Blotched Marble Endothenia quadrimaculana, Small Birch Bell Epinotia ramella, Marbled Piercer Cydia splendana, 27 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, 4 Elbow-stripe Grass-veneers Agriphila geniculea, Water Veneer Acentria ephemerella, 2 Ringed China-marks Parapoynx stratiotata, 2 Garden Pebbles Evergestis forficalis, Chequered Pearl Evergestis pallidata, 2 Beautiful Plumes Amblyptilia acanthadactyla, Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla, Orange Swift, Pebble Hook-tip, Common Carpet, 4 Double-striped Pugs, 5 Brimstone Moths, Bordered Beauty, Willow Beauty, Light Emerald, Shuttle-shaped Dart, 2 Flame Shoulders, Large Yellow Underwing, 3 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwings, 4 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, 3 Six-striped Rustics, 4 Square-spot Rustics, Straw Underwing, 18 Flounced Rustics, Frosted Orange, Vine's Rustic and 4 Straw Dots.
 
The waxfly Coniopteryx tineiformis was new for the year for the garden, and only my second here.  I've had a few elsewhere though, and all these records aren't bad considering that until 2016 there was only one county record.  Other Neuroptera were the green and brown lacewings Chrysoperla carnea agg., 2 Cunctochrysa albolineata, Dichochrysa flavifrons, Hemerobius humulinus and 6 Hemerobius lutescens.

Among the caddisflies 3 Small Silver Sedges Lepidostoma hirtum were new for the year. The others were Ithytrichia lamellaris, 3 Hydropsyche pellucidula, 4 Hydropsyche siltalai and Mottled Sedge Glyphotaelius pellucidus.

Small Silver Sedge Lepidostoma hirtum, North Elmham, 20th August

The barkfly Elipsocus hyalinus was new for the garden.  There was also another Ectopsocus petersi.

Elipsocus hyalinus, North Elmham, 20th August

The stunning leafhopper Zygina flammigera was also new for the garden, although I have suspected them in the past (they can be a bit tricky to identify positively).  Other leafhoppers included 5 Empoasca vitis, 2 female Kybos sp. and a female Edwardsiana sp. - in both cases males are needed for a full ID.  Other bugs were 2 Forest Bugs and 2 Tarnished Plant Bugs Lygus rugulipennis.

Zygina flammigera, North Elmham, 20th August

The following night was quieter - the moths were 2 Bird’s-nest Moths Tinea trinotella, Hawthorn Slender Parornix anglicella, Four-spotted Obscure Oegoconia quadripuncta, Little Mompha Mompha raschkiella, 2 Light Brown Apple-moths Epiphyas postvittana, 7 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Birch Marble Apotomis betuletana, 21 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, 7 Elbow-stripe Grass-veneers Agriphila geniculea, 2 Garden Pebbles Evergestis forficalis, Beautiful Plume Amblyptilia acanthadactyla, 2 Common Plumes Emmelina monodactyla, 2 Orange Swifts, 2 Blood-veins, Single-dotted Wave, Garden Carpet, 2 Double-striped Pugs, Scorched Carpet, 3 Brimstone Moths, Common Wave, 2 Light Emeralds, 2 Large Yellow Underwings, Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, 2 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, 7 Six-striped Rustics, Square-spot Rustic, Lychnis, 25 Flounced Rustics, Frosted Orange, 3 Vine's Rustics, Spectacle and 4 Straw Dots.

There were no lacewings but Pond Olive Cloeon dipterum and Green Drake Ephemera danica represented the mayflies.  There was a good variety of caddisflies given the low overall numbers: Ithytrichia lamellaris, Hydropsyche pellucidula, Hydropsyche siltalai, Small Silver Sedge Lepidostoma hirtum, Mottled Sedge Glyphotaelius pellucidus, Limnephilus lunatus and Molanna angustata.

Among the beetles the water beetle Ilybius fuliginosus was new for the year here.  A Lesser Mealworm Beetle Alphitobius diaperinus was only the second I've identified.  There were also 8 Bradycellus verbasci and 2 Aphodius rufipes.  A Birch Shieldbug was the only bug.

Ilybius fuliginosus, North Elmham, 21st August

Lesser Mealworm Beetle Alphitobius diaperinus, North Elmham, 21st August

The next day a wander round the meadows produced less than usual - 2 Chrysoperla carnea (green lacewings), Brown Rowan Argent Argyresthia semifusca, 3 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, a Common Froghopper Philaenus spumarius and a Red Fox.

Common Froghopper Philaenus spumarius, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 22nd August

Second Agonopterix lifer in 3 days

Saturday 19th August I set the trap as usual before heading out to Winterton and returned to find what turned out to be the best moth of the evening.  It looked superficially similar to the Dark-fringed Flat-body Agonopterix nervosa that I'd had for the first time two nights earlier but apart from anything else it lacked a dark fringe.  I did consider Dusted Flat-body Agonopterix assimilella quite early on but ruled that out as its supposed to fly from April to June and in the absence of any other contenders I spent a while wondering if it might turn out to be another nervosa despite the lack of a dark fringe.  The genitalia of many of the Agonopterix aren't enormously different from one another so looking at it under the microscope didn't yield an immediate answer.  Eventually I felt I'd eliminated everything apart from assimilella and it was only then that I discovered that the hindwing pattern was helpful in determining this species.  Sure enough the hindwing ticked the final box and confirmed that it was indeed a Dusted Flat-body Agonopterix assimiliella, another new moth for me and my 780th species for North Elmham since August 2014.

Dusted Flat-body Agonopterix assimilella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 19th August

Two other moths were new for the year that night: Straw Conch Cochylimorpha straminea (my second here) and Rosy Rustic.

Straw Conch Cochylimorpha straminea (male, gen det), North Elmham, 19th August

Rosy Rustic, North Elmham, 19th August

Other moths that night were Brown Birch Slender Parornix betulae, Orchard/Apple/Spindle Ermine Yponomeuta padella/malinellus/cagnagella agg., Cinereous Groundling Bryotropha terrella, House Groundling Bryotropha domestica, Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana, Garden Rose Tortrix Acleris variegana, 7 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteuchia culmella, 2 Pearl Veneers Agriphila straminella, 7 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, 2 Elbow-stripe Grass-veneers Agriphila geniculea, Pale Straw Pearl Udea lutealis, 2 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, Single-dotted Wave, 2 Canary-shouldered Thorns, Willow Beauty, Light Emerald, Poplar Hawk-moth, 3 Flame Shoulders, Large Yellow Underwing, Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, 2 Small Square-spots, 2 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, 2 Common Wainscots, Flounced Rustic, Vine's Rustic and Straw Dot.  There were 4 Pond Olives Cloeon dipterum and caddisflies were Hydropsyche siltalai, Mottled Sedge Glyphotaelius pellucidus and Limnephilus lunatus.

The next day an afternoon wander round the local gravel pits produced Borderd Carl Coptotriche marginea, Marbled Cosmet Mompha propinquella (feeding on Fleabane), 4 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Pearl Veneer Agriphila straminella and Common Grass-veneer Agriphila tristella.

Marbled Cosmet Mompha propinquella, Bittering, 20th August

There was also this bug which I'm pretty sure is a nymph of Notostira elongata and as such a new species for me.

Notostira elongata nymph, Bittering, 20th August

A Dusky Thorn was the only new moth for the year that night; other moths being Bordered Carl Coptotriche marginea, Blackthorn Slender Parornix torquillella, Clover Case-bearer Coleophora alcyonipennella, Brown House Moth Hofmannophila pseudospretella, Long-horned Flat-body Carcina quercana, 2 House Groundlings Bryotropha domestica, 3 Light Brown Apple Moths Epiphyas postvittana, 3 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Smoky-barred Marble Lobesia abscisana, Marbled Piercer Cydia splendana, Pearl Veneer Agriphila straminella, 16 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, 2 Chequered Grass-veneers Catoptria falsella, 2 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, Maiden's Blush, Blood-vein, Riband Wave, Garden Carpet, Yellow Shell, 2 Common Marbled Carpets, 2 Double-striped Pugs, 6 Brimstone Moths, Canary-shouldered Thorn, 2 Willow Beauties, Light Emerald, Pebble Prominent, Swallow Prominent, 2 Flame Shoulders, 6 Large Yellow Underwings, 4 Lesser Yellow Underwings, 2 Small Square-spots, 3 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, Six-striped Rustic, Square-spot Rustic, 3 Common Wainscots, 3 Flounced Rustics, 2 Vine's Rustics, Burnished Brass, Spectacle and 4 Straw Dots. There was also a presumed Case-bearing Clothes Moth Tinea pellionella indoors but its identity couldn't be confirmed as it had been eaten by its own larvae before I dissected it - a frequent problem with this species when I'm behind with my dissections!

Blackthorn Slender Parornix torquillella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 20th August

That wasn't a bad selection but the caddisflies were better as they contained my 50th species identified at home, an entirely new one for me, Small Siver Sedge Lepidostoma hirtum.

Small Silver Sedge Lepidostoma hirtum (female), North Elmham, 20th August

Other caddisflies were Polycentropus flavomaculatus, 3 Hydropsyche pellucidula, Mottled Sedge Glyphotaelius pellucidus and Limnephilus sparsus.  Other insects recorded were the green lacewing Chrysoperla carnea and the beetle Aphodius rufipes.