Review of 2019 and 2020 - Moths: White Bent-wings (Opostegidae), Lifts (Heliozelidae) and Long-horns (Adelidae)

WHITE BENT-WINGS (OPOSTEGIDAE)

(I'm not sure if English names have been allocated to some of the micro families so apologies if they have and I've made up the wrong ones...)


Sorrel Bent-wing Opostega salaciella - singles in my garden on 16th and 23rd July 2019 and one on 30th June 2020.  I'd only recorded 2 here before (2016 and 2017).  Also found at the meadows on 6th and 23rd June 2019 and 9th June 2020.  Elsewhere 4 together at dusk at Pennyghael on Mull on 13th June 2019.

Sorrel Bent-wing Opostega salaciella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 6th June 2019

Mint Bent-wing Pseudopostega crepusculella - None.  I've only seen this species once before and never locally.

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LIFTS (HELIOZELIDAE)


Four-spot Lift Antispila metallella - None.  I've never seen this species but although it's described as rare there are quite a few records in Norfolk, and there's plenty of Dogwood (its foodplant) at the meadows.


Yellow-spot Lift Antispila petryi - None.  Another Dogwood feeder I've never seen but that could potentially occur locally.


Oak Satin Lift Heliozela sericella - Seen at the meadows on 20th (2) and 30th April 2019. The only species of this family that I have found as adults anywhere so far, and I've not recorded it at home yet.  I usually find this species during the day flying around underneath Oak trees, sometimes in good numbers, but didn't find any in 2020.

Oak Satin Lift Heliozela sericella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 20th April 2019

Alder Lift Heliozela resplendella - None.  I've only seen mines of this species but there's plenty of Alder in the area so hopefully I'll find adults locally at some point.

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LONG-HORNS (ADELIDAE)


Yellow-barred Long-horn Nemophora degeerella - 1-2 at the meadows on 3 dates between 6th and 21st June 2019 and on 3rd and 20th June 2020.  I've not recorded this common day-flying species in my garden yet. This is the only Nemophora I've seen - none of the other 4 Norfolk species are particularly common (except perhaps metallica in the Brecks) but any of them could conceivably turn up locally.

Yellow-barred Long-horn Nemophora degeerella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 15th June 2019

Yellow-barred Long-horn Nemophora degeerella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 20th June 2020

Green Long-horn Adela reaumurella - At least 5 lekking on Dogwood along the disused railway at the meadows on 26th April 2019, with fewer there still on 2nd May.  Recorded at the meadows on 4 dates in 2020 between 24th April and 15th May including at least 12 lekking on 12th May.  Another common day-flying moth that is missing from my garden list.

Green Long-horns Adela reaumurella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 26th April 2019

Green Long-horn Adela reaumurella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 2nd May 2019

Green Long-horn Adela reaumurella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 8th May 2020

Early Long-horn Adela cuprella - None.  I've seen this species at Bittering so it's not far away, and there is suitable foodplant round here so I wouldn't be surprised to find it at the meadows.


Small Barred Long-horn Adela croesella - None.  I'm yet to find this species locally but there's no reason why it shouldn't occur round here.


Little Long-horn Cauchas fibulella - None.  Another one I've not seen locally but could potentially occur round here.


Meadow Long-horn Cauchas rufimitrella - 3 at the meadows on 15th May and 5 on 25th May 2019.  Of the 5 one was on Garlic Mustard as you'd expect but the other 4 were on Wintercress which isn't listed as a larval foodplant for this species.  However, there is Garlic Mustard and Cuckoo-flower growing in the vicinity, both of which are foodplants, so they the larvae may have come from those.  None of the other Cauchas species recorded in 2019.  None seen in 2020 and not yet recorded at home.

Meadow Long-horn Cauchas rufimitrella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May 2019

Sandy Long-horn Nematopogon schwarziellus - None.  I found this species at my previous house in Bawdeswell but I'm yet to record it in North Elmham.  It appears to be the scarcest of the 3 similar species in Norfolk.


Buff Long-horn Nematopogon metaxella - One in the garden moth trap on 21st June 2020, my first here since 2017 (3 previous records, 2 in 2015 and the one in 2017).   At the meadows 2 on 31st May 2019 and singles on 17th May and 18th June 2020.

Buff Long-horn Nematopogon metaxella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 31st May 2019

Buff Long-horn Nematopogon metaxella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 17th May 2020

Large Long-horn Nematopogon swammerdamella - One with a broken antenna in my garden moth trap on 2nd June 2019 was only my second here (following one in 2017).  None elsewhere this year and none anywhere in 2020.

Large Long-horn Nematopogon swammerdamella, North Elmham, 2nd June 2019

Next page: Incurvariidae plus

Silo pallipes - a new caddisfly

The highlight on the night of 25th May was a Small Clouded Brindle.  I could have sworn I'd seen these here before but it turns out I hadn't - indeed I'd only seen one before anywhere.

Small Clouded Brindle, North Elmham, 25th May

Four other species were new for the year: 7 Buff Rush Case-bearers Coleophora caespititiella, 2 Triple-blotched Bells Notocelia trimaculana, Red Piercer Lathronympha strigana, and Pale Oak Beauty.

Buff Rush Case-bearer Coleophora caespititiella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 25th May

Triple-blotched Bell Notocelia trimaculana, North Elmham, 25th May

Red Piercer Lathronympha strigana, North Elmham, 25th May

Pale Oak Beauty, North Elmham, 25th May

Other moths that night were Little Dwarf Elachista canapennella, Common Cosmet Mompha epilobiella, Common Marble Celypha lacunana, Yellow-faced Bell Notocelia cynosbatella, Small Magpie Anania hortulata, 4 Common Swifts, Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet, Silver-ground Carpet, Common Marbled Carpet, 2 Green Carpets, 3 Common Pugs, Clouded Border, 2 Brimstone Moths, White-pinion Spotted, Light Emerald, Eyed Hawk-moth, 2 White Ermines, 3 Cinnabars, Bright-line Brown-eye, Brown Rustic, Marbled Minor, 9 Treble Lines and Spectacle. Also Common Earwig and Cockchafer.

Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet (female, gen det), North Elmham, 25th May

Next day there were Azure, Common Blue and Large Red Damseflies at Ryburgh where moths included Yellow-barred Long-horn Nemophora degeerella, Common Nettle-tap Anthophila fabriciana and Green Carpet.

Yellow-barred Long-horn Nemophora degeerella, Ryburgh, 26th May

Common Blue Damselfly, Ryburgh, 26th May

Following on from the 7 on 25th I trapped 13 Buff Rush Case-bearers Coleophora caespititiella on 26th - easily a record count, though that would be beaten a couple of nights later.

New species for the year were Bird's-nest Moth Tinea trinotella, 3 Hook-streaked Grass-Veneers Crambus lathoniellus, Fenland Pearl Anania perlucidalis, Blood-vein, May Highflyer, Brown Silver-line, Buff-tip, Rustic Shoulder-knot and 2 Straw Dots.

Bird's-nest Moth Tinea trinotella, North Elmham, 26th May

Hook-streaked Grass-veneer Crambus lathoniellus, North Elmham, 26th May

Fenland Pearl Anania perlucidalis, North Elmham, 26th May

Blood-vein, North Elmham, 26th May

May Highflyer, North Elmham, 26th May

Brown Silver-line, North Elmham, 26th May

Buff-tip, North Elmham, 26th May

Rustic Shoulder-knot, North Elmham, 26th May

Other moths that night were Yellow-triangle Slender Caloptilia alchimiella, Dark-barred Tortrix Syndemis musculana, 2 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, 2 Plum Tortrixes Hedya pruniana, 2 Rush Marbles Bactra lancealana, 2 Yellow-faced Bells Notocelia cynosbatella, Red Piercer Lathronympha strigana, Meadow Grey Scoparia pyralella, 2 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis, 2 Garden Pebbles Evergestis forficalis, 4 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, Bee Moth Aphomia sociella, False Cacao Moth Ephestia unicolorella, Common Swift, Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet, 3 Silver-ground Carpets, 2 Common Marbled Carpets, 2 Green Carpets, Sandy Carpet, Mottled Pug, 14 Common Pugs, Clouded Border, Brimstone Moth, 2 Waved Umbers, Pale Oak Beauty, White-pinion Spotted, 2 Light Emeralds, Pale Tussock, 2 Orange Footmen, 4 White Ermines, Buff Ermine, 5 Cinnabars, Least Black Arches, Heart and Dart, Shuttle-shaped Dart, 2 Brown Rustics, Clouded-bordered Brindle, 13 Treble Lines and Spectacle.

Least Black Arches, North Elmham, 26th May

The only beetle was a Cockchafer but two caddisflies included a new one for me, Silo pallipes (also Glyphotaelius pellucidus).

Silo pallipes (male), North Elmham, 26th May

Lolly Moor reveals its secrets

On Tuesday Dave had visited the NWT reserve, Lolly Moor, and discovered what he thought looked like Cinereous Pearl Anania fuscalis.  Not one, but at least two and probably several more.  What's the deal?  Well, there was one Anania fuscalis recorded in the Attleborough square in 1996 but apart from that there have been no records in Norfolk since the 1800s.  Surely Dave had made a mistake...

I looked at his photos and thought they did indeed resemble Anania fuscalis so on Wednesday evening I headed down there with him to have a look.  It's a tiny wet meadow south of Dereham and surrounded by big hedgerows or woodland.  The first thing I noticed was Yellow Rattle growing there - the favoured foodplant of Anania fuscalis - a promising start!  The second thing I noticed was that the whole reserve was crawling with small pale moths which quickly proved to be Grass Rivulets (Dave had photographed these the day before too).  I've only ever seen Grass Rivulets at one site before, and I could count all of them over two visits on one hand.  Here I reckon we saw a bare minimum of 100 Grass Rivulets.  Among them we quickly picked out at least 3 Cinereous Pearls Anania fuscalis.  With a good view of their underwings there was no real doubt about the ID but I dissected one moribund individual just to make triply sure.  Dave had done good!

Cinereous Pearl Anania fuscalis, Lolly Moor, 10th June

Grass Rivulet, Lolly Moor, 10th June

We weren't there for long but in the time we were we recorded a good variety of other species too: Yellow-barred Long-horn Nemophora degeerella (I'd had 3 of these in my lunch break too, at Barrow Common), Cork Moth Nemapogon cloacella, Large Lance-wing Epermenia falciformis (a species I've only ever seen twice before), Buff Rush Case-bearer Coleophora caespititiella, Water-mint Conch Phalonidia manniana, Hook-marked Straw Moth Agapeta hamana, 3 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Red Piercer Lathronympha strigana, 3 Meadow Greys Scoparia pyralella, Common Grey Scoparia ambigualis and 2 Straw Dots.

Large Lance-wing Epermenia falcifornis, Lolly Moor, 10th June

Water-mint Conch Phalonidia manniana (male, gen det), Lolly Moor, 10th June

Buff Rush Case-bearer Coleophora caespititiella (female, gen det), Lolly Moor, 10th June

Yellow-barred Long-horns Nemophora degeerella, Barrow Common, 10th June

Among the plantlife were several Common Spotted Orchids and also Common Twayblade, a new species for me.

Common Twayblade, Lolly Moor, 10th June

 probable Leptoterna dolabrata nymph, Lolly Moor, 10th June

The warm sunny evening gave way to a cool clear night so not such a good night at home.  Mottled Rustic was new for the year and the rest were 6 Silver-ground Carpets, Garden Carpet, 2 Common Marbled Carpets, Common Pug, Peppered Moth, Light Emerald, Poplar Hawkmoth, 2 Buff-tips, White Ermine, Cinnabar, 3 Heart and Darts, 2 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, 2 Shears, 2 Brown Rustics, Marbled Minor agg., 4 Treble Lines and 2 Vine's Rustics. 

Buff-tip, North Elmham, 10th June

 Setaceous Hebrew Character (left) and Mottled Rustic (right), North Elmham, 10th June