Review of 2019 and 2020 - Bugs: Plant bugs - part 6: Phylini I (Asciodema to Oncotylus)

PLANT BUGS (MIRIDAE) (continued)


Tribe PHYLINI


Asciodema obsoleta - Another new bug for me with singles caught in my garden moth trap on 26th June 2019 and on exactly the same date in 2020.  Also swept from Broom at the meadows on 19th July 2019.

Asciodema obsoleta, North Elmham, 26th June 2019

Asciodema obsoleta, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 19th July 2019

Atractotomus parvulus - Singles caught in the garden moth trap on 11th and 12th August 2020.  I'd recorded this species here once before, in 2018.  It's the only member of the genus that I've seen but I don't find the differences particularly obvious so have resorted to gen detting them to make sure (they've all been males).

Atractotomus parvulus, North Elmham, 12th August 2020 - showing its aedeagus in second photo

Compsidolon salicellum - 4 singles trapped in my garden moth trap between 23rd July and 21st August 2019 then singles on 13th and 19th August 2020.

Compsidolon salicellum, North Elmham, 28th July 2019

Compsidolon salicellum, North Elmham, 13th August 2020

Harpocera thoracica - One knocked out of Oak at the meadows on 8th May 2020.  None at home in 2019 or 2020 despite recording it here in 2017 and 2018.

Harpocera thoracica, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 8th May 2020

Macrotylus horvathi - Singles caught in my garden moth trap on 25th July 2019 and 31st July 2020 (following 3 in 2018).

Macrotylus horvathi, North Elmham, 25th July 2019

Macrotylus horvathi, North Elmham, 31st July 2020

Macrotylus paykulli - One swept from Restharrow at Brancaster on 2nd July 2020, the first time I've recorded this species.

Macrotylus paykulli, Brancaster, 2nd July 2020

Macrotylus solitarius - One caught in my garden moth trap on 23rd June 2020 (following 3 in 2017 but none in between).

Macrotylus solitarius, North Elmham, 23rd June 2020 (showing close-up of faded wing membranes to show shape of dark markings)

Megalocoleus molliculus - Just one caught in my garden moth trap in 2019 (on 26th July) and none in 2020 (I'd caught 3 here in 2018).

Megalocoleus molliculus, North Elmham, 26th July 2019

Oncotylus viridiflavus - I caught 12 of these in my garden moth trap over 4 nights between 23rd and 30th July 2019 (max. 5 on 25th).  Also one at Foxley Wood on 17th August.  This was a particularly good showing considering I'd never identified this species before, and as its reasonably distinctive I like to think I would have done had I trapped any over the previous year or two at least.  There were some more in 2020 but only 4 - between 24th and 31st July.

Oncotylus viridiflavus, North Elmham, 23rd July 2019

Oncotylus viridiflavus, North Elmham, 24th July 2020

Oncotylus viridiflavus, North Elmham, 30th July 2020

Next page: more Miridae

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.