Review of 2019 and 2020 - Caddisflies: part 2 of Limnephilidae

Family LIMNEPHILIDAE (continued)


Limnephilus affinis - A total of 21 caught in the garden between 12th September and 23rd October 2019 and 12 between 12th September and 11th November 2020 (none seen in either year in the April to June generation when they are always thinner on the ground).  Elsewhere one at Swanton Great Wood on 27th August 2019.

female Limnephilus affinis, Swanton Great Wood, 27th August 2019

Limnephilus affinis, North Elmham, 12th September 2019

female Limnephilus affinis, North Elmham, 29th September 2019

female Limnephilus affinis, North Elmham, 20th October 2019

male Limnephilus affinis, North Elmham, 12th September 2020

female Limnephilus affinis, North Elmham, 9th November 2020

Limnephilus incisus - None.  I've not seen this species but it does occur in Norfolk with small numbers of widespread records.


Limnephilus rhombicus - 5 singles caught in the garden between 15th July and 2nd September 2019 and 7 between 19th July and 20th August 2020.  Apparently much commoner next door as I caught 5 there on the only 4 nights I trapped there (7th to 10th August 2019).  Also 4 at the meadows and one at Hellesdon.

Limnephilus rhombicus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 4th August 2019

Limnephilus rhombicus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 22nd August 2019

male Limnephilus rhombicus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 18th July 2020

male Limnephilus rhombicus, North Elmham, 19th July 2020

Limnephilus flavicornis - 42 trapped in the garden between 7th June and 11th October 2019 and 37 between 3rd June and 24th October 2020, these totals being slightly less that I caught here in 2018.  Elsewhere 10 at the meadows, one at Whitwell Street and one at Hellesdon.  There are always considerably more in the autumn period (peaking mid August to mid October, especially September) than in the early summer period (peaking June to mid July).

female Limnephilus flavicornis, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 23rd June 2019

male Limnephilus flavicornis, North Elmham, 4th July 2019

Limnephilus flavicornis, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 22nd August 2019

female Limnephilus flavicornis, North Elmham, 22nd September 2019

male Limnephilus flavicornis, North Elmham, 26th September 2019

female Limnephilus flavicornis, North Elmham, 14th June 2020

male Limnephilus flavicornis, North Elmham, 24th September 2020

Limnephilus flavicornis, North Elmham, 26th September 2020

male Limnephilus flavicornis, North Elmham, 16th October 2020

Limnephilus lunatus - This is easily the commonest caddisfly here and I caught a total of 595 in the garden trap between 4th June and 19th December 2019 and 624 between 30th May and 21st December 2020 (the last being my latest ever).  Maximum counts in each year were 47 on 23rd September 2019 and 34 on 22nd September 2020.  Elsewhere 3 next door, 104 at the meadows including 25 to LED lights on 15th September 2019 and 20 on 8th September 2020, and 1-2 at Swanton Great Wood, Whitwell Street, Hellesdon, Weybourne and Row Heath (West Runton).  Also singles on 6 out of 7 nights trapping at Tresidder in Cornwall in early October 2020.

female Limnephilus lunatus, North Elmham, 21st June 2019

Limnephilus lunatus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 22nd August 2019

Limnephilus lunatus, North Elmham, 1st November 2019

Limnephilus lunatus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 24th November 2019

Limnephilus lunatus, North Elmham, 30th May 2020

Limnephilus marmoratus - a total of 11 trapped here between 5th June and 22nd September 2019 and 13 between 7th June and 2nd October 2020 - both considerably lower totals than in 2017 abnd 2018.  Elsewhere singles next door, at the meadows, Bintree Wood, Whitwell Street and Hellesdon.

female Limnephilus marmoratus, North Elmham, 5th June 2019

Limnephilus marmoratus, North Elmham, 6th August 2019

male Limnephilus marmoratus, North Elmham, 7th September 2019

male Limnephilus marmoratus, North Elmham, 6th June 2020

female Limnephilus marmoratus, North Elmham, 4th August 2020

male Limnephilus marmoratus, North Elmham, 22nd September 2020

male Limnephilus marmoratus, North Elmham, 27th September 2020

Limnephilus politus - None.  I'm yet to find this species but there are a scattering of records in Norfolk so it might crop up here at some point.


Limnephilus binotatus - One in the garden trap on 16th May 2019 was only my second here following one in 2016.  Elsewhere caught at the meadows on 22nd April and 25th and 31st May 2019.  None recorded in 2020.

female Limnephilus binotatus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 22nd April 2019

male Limnephilus binotatus, North Elmham, 16th May 2019

male Limnephilus binotatus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May 2019

Limnephilus decipiens - One caught in the garden on 7th October 2019 but none in 2020.  I had 2 here in 2018 and one the year before.

male Limnephilus decipiens, North Elmham, 7th October 2019

Limnephilus bipunctatus - None.  I'm yet to record this species but it occurs in Norfolk, albeit thinly spread, so it's one to look out for.


Limnephilus elegans - one to light at Teanga Brideig on Mull on 13th June 2019.  This species is rather rare in the east of England but I had one in the garden here in 2018 which was apparently only the second or third record in Norfolk.

male Limnephilus elegans, Teanga Brideig (Mull), 13th June

Limnephilus griseus - None.  I found this species at 2 locations in the Brecks/Fens in 2016 when I first started looking at caddisflies seriously, so got the impression it was commoner than it is - I haven't seen any since.  Looking at the NBN Atlas it looks like it may not have been recorded in the Wensum Valley, so I may have to be lucky to find one locally.


Limnephilus luridus - None.  Another one that has a scattering of records from Norfolk but which I've not come across yet.


Next page: more Limnephilidae

Or return to Caddisfly index

Two nice new moths for the garden and a rare but distinctive caddisfly

Saturday 26th May was a quieter night than the previous night but there was still plenty of interest.  Best of all was this Triple-barred Argent Argyresthia trifasciata, new for the garden and only my second ever - and a beautiful little moth.

Triple-barred Argent Argyresthia trifasciata, North Elmham, 26th May

Other moths that were new for the year were Fulvous Clothes Moth Tinea semifulvella, Hedge Case-bearer Coleophora striatipennella, Common Carpet, Flame and Marbled Minor agg., though the last of these doesn't count as it got away preventing a species-level ID.

Fulvous Clothes Moth Tinea sermifulvella, North Elmham, 26th May

Hedge Case-bearer Coleophora striatipennella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 26th May

Common Carpet, North Elmham, 26th May

Flame, North Elmham, 26th May

Other moths were Bird’s-nest Moth Tinea trinotella, Beech Midget Phyllonorycter maestingella, Rush Marble Bactra lancealana, Common Birch Bell Epinotia immundana, Bee Moth Aphomia sociella, Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla, 2 Silver-ground Carpets, Garden Carpet, Broken-barred Carpet, Green Carpet, 6 Mottled Pugs, Currant Pug, 4 Common Pugs, 2 Brimstone Moths, 2 Pale Tussocks, 2 Orange Footmen, 5 White Ermines, Cinnabar, Flame Shoulder, 2 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, Common Wainscot and 4 Treble Lines.

Setaceous Hebrew Character, North Elmham, 26th May

There was only one caddisfly in the trap but it was a highly distinctive creature that I didn't recognise at all.  It turned out to be Limnephilus elegans, a species of raised bogs and fens that according to the RES handbook is "Local in New Forest, north Midlands, N England, Wales and Scotland."  Well I don't know about you but in view of that I wouldn't expect to find this species in a central Norfolk garden!  But there seemed to be no mistaking it and a quick check with the county recorder confirmed that there is at least one county record (at Ranworth).  But it does seem to be pretty rare anywhere in East Anglia, so probably my best caddisfly yet.

Limnephilus elegans, North Elmham, 26th May

By catch also included a couple of new species for the garden, Common Red Ant Myrmica rubra (I'm sure that wasn't really new for the garden of course, but its the first red ant here that I've looked at critically) and the beetle Bembedion lampros.  Also the mayfly Pond Olive Cloeon dipterum and a Common Wasp.

Next day this Cream Wave was on my gate, a new species for the year.

Cream Wave, North Elmham, 27th May

In the trap that night the highlight was a Large Brindled Clothes Moth Triaxomera parasitella, my second new moth for the garden in consecutive nights.

Large Brindled Clothes Moth Triaxomera parasitella, North Elmham, 27th May

Also new for the year were Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteuchia culmella, Blood-vein, 2 Sandy Carpets, Brown Rustic and a fully-identified Marbled Minor.

Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteucha culmella, North Elmham, 27th May

Blood-vein, North Elmham, 27th May

Sandy Carpet, North Elmham, 27th May

Brown Rustic, North Elmham, 27th May

Marbled Minor (male, gen det), North Elmham, 27th May

Other moths were Beech Midget Phyllonorycter maestingella, 2 Little Dwarfs Elachista canapennella, Common Marble Celypha lacunana, Yellow-faced Bell Notocelia cynosbatella, Hook-streak Grass-veneer Crambus lathoniellus, Small Magpie Anania hortulata, Bee Moth Aphomia sociella, 2 Silver-ground Carpets, 2 Green Carpets, Mottled Pug, 2 Common Pugs, 2 White Ermines, 2 Heart and Darts, Shears, 2 Common Wainscots and 2 Treble Lines.

Hot on the heels of the previous day's indivual there was another Bembidion lampros.

Bembedion lampros, North Elmham, 27th May