Review of 2019 and 2020 - Moths: Prominents (Notodontidae) - part 2: Prominents and Buff- and Chocolate-tips

PROMINENTS, KITTENS and allies (NOTODONTIDAE)


Iron Prominent Notodonta dromedarius - One caught in the garden on 1st May 2019 and then 3 singles between 21st July and 26th August.  In 2020 singles on 30th April, 18th May and 12th August.  3-5 here in a year is typical but there were 19 in 2016 and none in 2017.  One at Sculthorpe Moor on 26th April 2019 was my earliest ever and first April record.  Elsewhere singles at Weybourne, Swanton Great Wood and Row Heath (West Runton) in 2019 and 2 at Hills and Holes in 2020.

Iron Prominent, Sculthorpe Moor, 26th April 2019

Iron Prominent, North Elmham, 1st May 2019

Iron Prominent, North Elmham, 30th April 2020

Pebble Prominent Notodonta ziczac - 5 trapped in the garden between 21st June and 2nd August 2019 and then singles on 22nd May, 22nd July and 6th August 2020.  These low totals were better than 2018 (2) but well short of my yearly average of over 10.  Elsewhere one next door on 27th August 2019, one at the meadows on 22nd April 2019 and one at Bintree Wood on 24th July 2020.

Pebble Prominent, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 22nd April 2019

Great Prominent Peridea anceps - One in the garden moth trap on 24th May 2020.  I've caught this species at home 3 times before (2015, 2016 and 2018).  Elsewhere one caught at Benhall (Suffolk) on 10th May 2019 and one at Hills and Holes on 21st May 2020.

Great Prominent, Hills and Holes, 21st May 2020

Great Prominent, North Elmham, 24th May 2020

Swallow Prominent Pheosia tremula - Totals of 5 in the garden between 26th April and 29th August 2019 and 9 between 11th April (my earliest ever) and 16th May 2020.  These were my worst totals in 6 years - I've averaged 16-17 a year.  Elsewhere 3 next door, 6 at the meadows on 6 dates, one at Bintree Wood, 2 at Swanton Great Wood, one at Sculthorpe Moor, one at Hills and Holes and one at Benhall (Suffolk).

Swallow Prominent, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 22nd April 2019

Swallow Prominent, North Elmham, 26th April 2019

Swallow Prominent, North Elmham, 11th April 2020

Swallow Prominent, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 17th May 2020

Lesser Swallow Prominent Pheosia tremula - Totals of 16 trapped here between 25th April and 23rd  August 2019 and 20 between 15th April and 23rd August 2020 - 20 a year is about average.  Elsewhere singles next door on 3 nights, 2 at Weybourne, 1 at Row Heath (West Runton) (my latest ever, on 31st August), one at Benhall (Suffolk) and one on Mull, all in 2019.

Lesser Swallow Prominent, North Elmham, 25th April 2019

Lesser Swallow Prominent (left) and Swallow Prominent (right), Benhall (Suffolk), 10th May 2019

Lesser Swallow Prominent, North Elmham, 15th April 2020

Pale Prominent Pterostoma palpina - Totals of 9 in the garden between 4th July and 21st August 2019 and 8 between 8th May and 30th July 2020 - my worst years so far (average 20 a year).  Elsewhere my earliest ever at Sculthorpe Moor on 26th April 2019 and one at the meadows each year.

Pale Prominent, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May 2019

Pale Prominent, North Elmham, 8th May 2020

Pale Prominent, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 18th July 2020

Coxcomb Prominent Ptilodon capucina - Totals of 22 here between 20th May and 24th August 2019 and 18 between 31st May and 14th August 2020.  These were my worst showings but in 6 years but I've never had more than 28.  Elsewhere one next door, one at Hills and Holes and one on Mull.

Coxcomb Prominent, North Elmham, 20th May 2019

Coxcomb Prominent, Hills and Holes, 21st May 2020

Maple Prominent Ptilodon cucullina - None.  I caught 3 here (and one next-door) in 2016 but haven't had them here in any other year.  Interestingly 2016 doesn't seem to have been an especially good year elsewhere in Norfolk.


Buff-tip Phalera bucephala - Totals of 18 trapped in the garden between 26th May and 3rd August 2019 and 41 between 24th April (my earliest ever) and 22nd July 2020.  2020 was my second best year in 6, though well short of the impressive 85 caught in 2015.  Elsewhere singles at the meadows, Bintree Wood and Weybourne and 5 at Carsaig (Mull).

Buff-tip, North Elmham, 1st July 2019

Buff-tip, North Elmham, 17th May 2020

Buff-tip, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 23rd June 2020

Chocolate-tip Clostera curtula - One in the garden trap on 1st May 2019 and 5 between 26th April and 23rd May 2020.  I only had one in 2017 too but in other years I've caught between 8 and 12.

Chocolate-tip, North Elmham, 1st May 2019

Chocolate-tip, North Elmham, 26th April 2020

Next page: Erebidae

A new moth, a new waxfly, a new snail and three new flowers

Monday 30th April was a foul day, wet and windy all day.  I didn't venture out and, extremely unusually for me I didn't even open any windows.  Yet I did record a moth inside the house, my first Case-bearing Clothes Moth Tinea pellionella of the year.

Case-bearing Clothes Moth Tinea pellionella (female, gen det), North Elmham, 30th April

There were no moths in the trap that night and only 4 on 1st May, but these included my first Pointed Groundling Scrobipalpa acuminatella of the year, and Muslin Moth and 2 Hebrew Characters.

Pointed Groundling Scrobipalpa acuminatella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 1st May

Waxflies can be frustrating as so many of them turn out to be female Conwentzia sp., a duo that can't definitely be told from one another (although the number of antennal segments has been suggested as a character).  But they have reaped rewards and I've had two new species for Norfolk here so I always check them.  On this occasion it was just another Conwentzia, but for the first time this one was a male, so my first fully-identified Conwentzia psociformis.

Conwentzia psociformis (male, gen det), North Elmham, 1st May

I headed back to the Cathedral Meadows first thing on 2nd and added Common Oak Midget Phyllonorycter quercifoliella to the site moth list (one in each tetrad).

 Common Oak Midget Phyllonorycter quercifoliella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 2nd May

I returned in the evening and found 3 Red-brindled Dwarfs Elachista rufocinerea flying around the meadows.

Red-brindled Dwarf Elachista rufochinerea, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 2nd May

As it turned dark I found my first macro moth for the site, a Water Carpet.  I also found Common Striped Woodlouse, Tree Slug and this snail which at the time I identified as Pelucid Glass Snail Vitrina pellucida.  I know realise this ID was incorrect, though I'm not entirely sure what it was (updated November 2019).

unidentified snail, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 2nd May

Common Striped Woodlouse Philoscia muscorum, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 2nd May

A couple of wildlfowers are species I hadn't previously identified, though I think they're both very common: Three-nerved Sandwort and Meadow Saxifrage.  A third new species was the naturalised Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Three-nerved Sandwort, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 2nd May

Meadow Saxifrage, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 2nd May

Abraham, Isaac and Joseph, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 2nd May

Are these Sulphur Tufts?

Sulphur Tuft?, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 2nd May

The temperature was falling rapidly so it was no surprise to find few moths in the trap at home - just 3 Hebrew Characters in fact.

Next day the Large Red-belted Clearwing lure attracted the hoverfly Parasyrphus punctulatus, new for the year.

Parasyrphus punctulatus, North Elmham, 3rd May

That night saw Lesser Swallow Prominent and 2 Swallow Prominents, both new for the year, along with Early Thorn, Muslin Moth, Clouded Drab and Hebrew Character.

Lesser Swallow Prominent, North Elmham, 3rd May

Swallow Prominent, North Elmham, 3rd May

Lesser Swallow Prominent (left) and Swallow Prominent (right), North Elmham, 3rd May

This Mottled Sedge Glyphotaelius pellucidus was my first caddisfly of the year.

Mottled Sedge Glyphotaelius pellucidus, North Elmham, 3rd May

A burst of activity at the end of April

I left my last post part way through 29th April so to finish off that day I found a White Oak Midget Phyllonorycter harrisella at Ryburgh.  That night the home trap produced a little more than recent nights including 3 new for the year here: Garden Carpet, Swallow Prominent and Bright-line Brown-eye.  It wasn't exactly heaving though - the rest were just Lesser Swallow Prominent, Muslin Moth, Common Quaker, 6 Hebrew Characters and 3 Early Greys.

Garden Carpet, North Elmham, 29th April

Swallow Prominent, North Elmham, 29th April

Lesser Swallow Prominent (left) and the same Swallow Prominent (right), North Elmham, 29th April

Bright-line Brown-eye, North Elmham, 29th April

On Sunday 30th I had a look round Sparham Pools in the afternoon finding about 45 Green Long-horns Adela reaumurella lekking near the car park.  Further round I found a couple more Long-horns which, in the field, seemed much less green - more golden.  Not entirely sure which species they were I took them home for closer examination, but looking at them closely they both seemed greener than I'd thought and I began to consider the possibility that they were just reaumurella like the rest.  In the end I think this one was - it was a male and its antennae were well over 3x longer than the forewing length which should rule out cuprella, the genitalia resembled reaumurella (but althouth I think I can see differences in images of cuprella genitalia I'm not entirely clear what the criteria are).  It did have some reddish-purple reflections along the costa but these were minimal.  Other similar species in other genera seemed to be ruled out either by size or flight-time.  In this photo it looks quite typical for reaumurella to me.

Green Long-horn Adela reaumurella, Sparham Pools, 30th April

The other one, which was the first one I saw in the field and really struck me as being more golden-bronze coloured, I think was Early Long-horn Adela cuprella.  I'm used to seeing these lekking on Sallows and this was in low pathside vegetation, so I wasn't expecting this result, but I think there may be Sallows just the other side of the hedge.  This one had much clearer reddish-purple reflections along the costa and although I can't find any images of female cuprella genitalia to compare it to there do seem to be some differences from the images I have found for female reaumurella.  As before, other similar species in different genera are ruled out by size or time of year.

[Update - having seen another identical female moth in habitat unsuitable for Adela cuprella I am now of the opinion that this was more likely another Adela reaumurella.  The genitalia of my two moths were identical and although I still can't find images of cuprella to compare them to I think I can now account for what I had perceived as differences from the published images of reaumurella].

Long-horn sp. Adela sp., Sparham Pools, 30th April

The only other moth I saw was a Common Oak Purple Dyseriocrania subpurpurella (thanks to John G for spotting that one) but there was this lovely weevil, Phyllobius argentatus.

Phyllobius argentatus, Sparham Pools, 30th April

On Sunday evening this Bee Moth Aphomia sociella tried to get into church...

Bee Moth Aphomia sociella, Norwich, 30th April

That night trapping at home was probably the best night of the year so far with 10 new species for the year: Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana, Chinese Character, Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet, 2 Brimstone Moths, 3 Waved Umbers, Pale Prominent, Pale Tussock, 2 Flame Shoulders, Clouded-bordered Brindle and Nut-tree Tussock.  Actually that was more than the moths that weren't new for the year, which were White-triangle Slender Caloptilia stigmatella, Little Dwarf Elachista canapennella, Many-plumed Moth Alucita hexadactyla, Green Carpet, Brindled Pug, Oak-tree Pug, 2 Yellow-barred Brindles, Cinnabar and 2 Hebrew Characters.

Chinese Character, North Elmham, 30th April

Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet (male, gen det), North Elmham, 30th April

Waved Umber, North Elmham, 30th April

Pale Prominent, North Elmham, 30th April

Pale Tussock, North Elmham, 30th April

Flame Shoulder, North Elmham, 30th April

Clouded-bordered Brindle, North Elmham, 30th April

There were also a few caddisflies around - my first at home this year.  They comprised 3  Glyphotaelius pellucidus, Limnephilus auricula and Limnephilus sparsus.

 Glyphotaelius pellucidas (female above, male below), North Elmham, 30th April

Limnephilus auricula (male, gen det), North Elmham, 30th April

Limnephilus sparsus (female, gen det), North Elmham, 30th April