Review of 2019 and 2020 - Caddisflies: part 3 of Limnephilidae

Family LIMNEPHILIDAE (continued)



Limnephilus ignavus - One in my garden trap on 20th October 2019.  This was the third consecutive year I recorded one here but there was to be no repeat in 2020.

male Limnephilus ignavus, North Elmham, 20th October 2019

Limnephilus sparsus - A total of 14 caught in the garden between 26th August and 30th September 2019 and 10 between 21st May and 23rd October 2020, both less than half the number recorded here in 2018.  Also one at the meadows on 15th September 2019 and 2 there on 17th May 2020.  Elsewhere 1-2 at Hills and Holes, Whitwell Street, Penberth (Cornwall) and Tresidder (Cornwall).

male Limnephilus sparsus, North Elmham, 26th August 2019

male Limnephilus sparsus, North Elmham, 10th September 2019

Limnephilus sparsus, North Elmham, 25th September 2019

male Limnephilus sparsus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 17th May 2020

male Limnephilus sparsus, North Elmham, 31st July 2020

male Limnephilus sparsus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 21st August 2020

Limnephilus fuscicornis - None.  I've never found this species but are a few records in Norfolk so it's another one to keep an eye out for, although apparently it doesn't usually come to light so my chances might be quite low.


Limnephilus extricatus - a female in the garden moth trap on 16th May 2019 was my first ever.

female Limnephilus extricatus, North Elmham, 16th May 2019

Limnephilus centralis - None.  This is another one that I've not yet recorded.  It's quite widespread in east Norfolk but not many records in VC28 it seems.


Limnephilus hirsutus - Singles caught in the garden on 25th August 2019 and 22nd August 2020.  I've only caught this species on one other occasion - here in 2017.

male Limnephilus hirsutus, North Elmham, 25th August 2019 - showing side profile of the end of the abdomen

male Limnephilus hirsutus, North Elmham, 22nd August 2020 - showing side profile of the end of the abdomen

Limnephilus auricula - A total of 46 trapped here between 25th April and 16th November and 51 between 23rd April and 31st October 2020.  These totals compare with 103 in 2016 (when I wasnm't attempting to identify all of the caddisflies I caught) and 179 in 2018.  Although this species has two clear peaks, one in May and one in September-October, I have recorded it throughout the summer.  Elsewhere found at the meadows on 6 nights and 5 in Cornwall.

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

male Limnephilus auricula, North Elmham, 23rd October 2019

male Limnephilus auricula, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 1st November 2019

male Limnephilus auricula, North Elmham, 23rd April 2020

Limnephilus vittatus - In spring 2019 one caught in the garden on 3rd June then in the normally-larger autumn generation 5 between 22nd September and 20th October.  I caught more than this in each of the previous 2 years but 2020 was worse - just singles on 14th September and 1st October.

male Limnephilus vittatus, North Elmham, 3rd June 2019

male Limnephilus vittatus, North Elmham, 22nd September 2019

male Limnephilus vittatus, North Elmham, 1st October 2020

Chaetopteryx villosa - None - judging from the number of records showing on the NBN Atlas this must be one of the commonest caddisflies that I haven't seen yet - there are even records at 2 sites between here and the neighbouring village of Hoe.


Micropterna lateralis - None but I've caught 3 of these here before (2 in 2018).  One Mictopterna sp. was caught on 3rd June 2019 but I lost it before I could confirm which species was involved.


Micropterna sequax - Males caught at the meadows on 31st May and 30th June 2019 but none at home that year.  One here in 2020, on 19th May, and I've caught this species at home previously (2 in 2017).

male Micropterna sequax, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 31st May 2019

male Micropterna sequax, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 30th June 2019

female Micropterna sequax, North Elmham, 19th May 2020

Stenophylax permistus - None.  I don't think either species of Stenophylax is very common in Norfolk but this one looks like it's the more plausible one to occur here.  (Update - it's plausibility is now confirmed - I caught one in my garden moth trap on 13th April 2021).


Potamophylax latipennis - None.  All 3 Potamophylax species occur in Norfolk (the others being cingulatus and rotundipennis) but this is the only one that appears to be common.  Not common enough for me to have ever encountered one though.


Halesus digitatus - None.  There are enough records of this species in Norfolk to make it worthwhile checking all my Halesus carefully for it, but so far they've all been the following species.


Halesus radiatus - 3 caught in the garden between 12th October and 13th November 2019 - a poor year considering that I had 15 here in 2018 but 2020 was a bit better with 8 between 15th October and 6th November.  Elsewhere 6 at Tresidder during my week in Cornwall in early October 2020.  Of the 17, 16 were males on which the genitalic features never quite look like the diagram in the Barnard and Ross Handbook but match the radiatus images that were on the trichoptera.insects-online.de website (the external appearance has also pointed to radiatus to a lesser or greater extent).

male Halesus radiatus, North Elmham, 12th October 2019

male Halesus radiatus, North Elmham, 18th October 2019

male Halesus radiatus, North Elmham, 13th November 2019

male Halesus radiatus, Tresidder (Cornwall), 7th October 2020

male Halesus radiatus, Tresidder (Cornwall), 8th October 2020 - showing abdomen partly cleared to make it easier to see the genitalic characters

male Halesus radiatus, North Elmham, 17th October 2020

male Halesus radiatus, North Elmham, 18th October 2020

male Halesus radiatus, North Elmham, 6th November 2020

Next page: Sericostomatidae plus

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Battered new moths for the year and a new beetle

Last Saturday night (12th May) produced a few moths with Flame Carpet, Spruce Carpet, 2 V-Pugs, Scalloped Hazel and White Ermine being new for the year.  It's always nice at this time of year when new species are appearing that you see them looking at their best, pristine fresh insects just emerged.  Well I don't know what's going on at the moment but they all seem to be coming out looking like they're on their last legs already.  Apart from the Spruce Carpet none of the above were especially smart, the V-Pugs and White Ermine were particularly well-worn already.

Flame Carpet, North Elmham, 12th May

Spruce Carpet, North Elmham, 12th May

V-Pug, North Elmham, 12th May

Other moths were Pointed Groundling Scrobipalpa acuminatella, Red Twin-spot Carpet, Common Pug, Brindled Pug, Double-striped Pug, Muslin Moth and Shuttle-shaped Dart.

Pointed Groundling Scrobipalpa acuminatella, North Elmham, 12th May

A Pond Olive Cloeon dipterum (a mayfly) was new for the year.

Pond Olive Cloeon dipterum, North Elmham, 12th May

It was a good night for caddisflies too.  The majority (11) were Limnephilus auricula but there were also Grammotaulius nigropunctatus and 2 Limnephilus sparsus, both new for the year.

Grammotaulius nigropunctatus (female), North Elmham, 12th May

Limnephilus sparsus (female top, male bottom), North Elmham, 12th May

Although it was a clear evening on Sunday the forecast promised it would cloud over at dusk so I thought it might be a good night for moths.  I should have learnt from last time and gone to the meadows before dark to see what was flying in the evening sunshine but instead went for the light-trapping option.  On arrival at dusk it was still clear and the forecast had pushed back the arrival time of the cloud, but it wasn't going to be long so I set up.  As I did so the forecast moved the cloud's arrival time back another hour and I could already feel the temperatures dropping.  I gave it a little time but there was hardly anything flying and the estimated arrival time of the cloud was still pushing back even later.  Instead of cloud, mist was forming, and just after 11pm I gave up with just 5 species of moths (most of which were seen in torchlight rather than coming to light).  They were Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet, 4 Green Carpets, White-pinion Spotted, 4 Flame Shoulders and Powdered Quaker.

Flame Shoulder, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 13th May

Slightly better from my perspective was a new species of hoverfly for me, though a common one that I have almost certainly overlooked: Melanostoma mellinum.

Melanostoma mellinum, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 13th May

A wander round with the headtorch resulted in the discovery of a few caterpillars which I believe are Common Footmen (at least on algae-covered fences) and a Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, on a rusty gate.

Common Footmen larvae, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 13th May

Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing larva, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 13th May

Unsurprisingly, not many moths in the trap at home either: just Little Dwarf Elachista canapennella, Red Twin-spot Carpet, Common Pug, Coxcomb Prominent, Pale Prominent, Chocolate-tip and White Ermine. But there was a beetle that I haven't identified before, Leistus rufomarginatus (but see edit below).

Edit 2nd June: hmm, maybe this beetle isn't Leistus after all.  I've just attempted to key out another beetle which also keyed to Leistus rufomarginatus, but I noticed it was a little on the large side for this species and looked again.  Seems what I thought were dilated mandibles and long palps may not have been quite enough to point to Leistus, as Nebria brevicollis was a better fit.  I haven't still got the specimen for this one to double-check but I think it's probably also Nebria brevicollis, not Leistus rufomarginatus and not a new species...

probable Nebria brevicollis (and probably not Leistus rufomarginatus as given before), North Elmham, 13th May

Another Sulphur Tubic

I thought last Sunday night might prove even better than Saturday as the conditions felt good.  It wasn't, but it wasn't far behind.  I'd already bagged a Sulphur Tubic Esperia sulphurella flying around the garden in the afternoon, my second here this year and third anywhere ever.

Sulphur Tubic Esperia sulphurella, North Elmham, 22nd May

In the trap the following were all new for the year for the garden: Black-headed Conch Cochylis atricapitana, Flame Carpet, Scorched Wing, Iron Prominent, Small Square-spot and Knot Grass.

Black-headed Conch Cochylis atricapitana, North Elmham, 22nd May

Flame Carpet, North Elmham, 22nd May

Scorched Wing, North Elmham, 22nd May

Iron Prominent, North Elmham, 22nd May

Knot Grass, North Elmham, 22nd May

Small Square-spot, North Elmham, 22nd May

Other moths were Sloe Flat-body Luquetia lobella (possibly the same one as before as I'd only released it earlier that morning), Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana, 2 Narrow-winged Greys Eudonia angustea, Bee Moth Aphomia sociella, 2 Red Twin-spot Carpets, Silver-ground Carpet, 4 Green Carpets, 2 Sandy Carpets, Mottled Pug, 5 Common Pugs, 2 Brimstone Moths, Waved Umber, Eyed Hawkmoth, 2 Pale Tussocks, Orange Footman, 2 White Ermines, Buff Ermine, Cinnabar, Least Black Arches, Flame Shoulder, 2 Hebrew Characters, Treble Lines and Spectacle.

Pale Tussock, North Elmham, 22nd May

Caddisflies comprised Hydropsyche pellucidula, 2 Glyphotaelius pellucidus, Limnephilus auricula and Limnephilus sparsus.

Hydropsyche pellucida, North Elmham, 22nd May

Limnephilus sparsus, North Elmham, 22nd May

After Sunday the weather worsened and this week has been poorer, though not without interest.  Monday night didn't add any new moths for the year, but produced Foxglove Pug, Flame Carpet, Silver-ground Carpet, 2 Common Pugs, 3 Muslin Moths, Shuttle-shaped Dart, Flame Shoulder, 2 Hebrew Characters and Nut-tree Tussock.

Foxglove Pug, North Elmham, 22nd May