Review of 2019 and 2020 - Moths: Tortrix Moths (Tortricidae) (Part 11: Bells and Shoots III (Notocelia to Rhayacionia))

TORTRIX MOTHS (TORTRICIDAE) (continued)


Yellow-faced Bell Notocelia cynosbatella - 14 in the garden between 22nd May and 6th June 2019 and 12 between 8th May and 2nd June 2020, both a bit below average.  Elsewhere one at the meadows in 2019 and one at Frost's Common in 2020.

Yellow-faced Bell Notocelia cynosbatelle, North Elmham, 22nd May 2019

Yellow-faced Bell Notocelia cynosbatelle, North Elmham, 8th May 2020

Bramble Shoot Notocelia uddmanniana - 7 in the garden between 24th June and 6th July 2019 and 6 between 13th June and 2nd July 2020, which are about average.  Elsewhere 2 at the meadows and singles at Bintree Wood, Whitwell Street (on the later date of 3rd September 2020) and Weybourne.

Bramble Shoot Notocelia uddmanniana, North Elmham Cathedtral Meadows, 7th July 2019

Bramble Shoot Notocelia uddmanniana, Bintree Wood, 13th June 2020

Summer Rose Bell Notocelia roborana - One trapped in the garden on 23rd July 2019 and 3 between 18th June and 30th July 2020.  I average 3 a year and 2019 was the first year I only caught one.  I used to get them at my previous house in Bawdeswell too but so far I've never found one anywhere else.

Summer Rose Bell Notocelia roborana, North Elmham, 23rd July 2019

Summer Rose Bell Notocelia roborana, North Elmham, 18th June 2020

Common Rose Bell Notocelia rosaecolona - None.  I've not found this species anywhere yet but it's fairly widespread, if a little scarce, so wouldn't be very surprising round here.  Some WhatsApp discussion about this species' identification in 2020 made me realise I had misremembered or somehow got confused about one of the characters and it's therefore possible that I've overlooked one or two in the past.  There are one or two "trimaculana" that I've photographed which in hindsight I wish I'd retained to check, although I think they probably are just trimaculana.


Triple-blotched Bell Notocelia trimaculana - Totals of 16 here between 24th May and 29th June 2019 and 13 between 19th May and 5th July 2020, my worst years for them (they average 26 a year).  Also recorded at the meadows and in Keswick.

Triple-blotched Bell Notocelia trimaculana, North Elmham, 24th June 2019

male Triple-blotched Bell Notocelia trimaculana, North Elmham, 20th May 2020

male Triple-blotched Bell Notocelia trimaculana, North Elmham, 26th May 2020

Dark Pine Shoot Pseudococcyx posticana - None.  I've never seen this species but it seems to be quite widespread in Norfolk, if thin on the ground.


Pine Bud Moth Pseudococcyx turionella - None.  I've not found this species locally but there's no reason why it shouldn't occur round here.


Pine Leaf-mining Moth Clavigesta purdeyi - One in the garden trap on 26th July 2020, the 4th year in 6 that I've seen it here.  None here in 2019 but one in next door's garden on 8th August.  Also one at Swanton Great Wood on 27th August 2019 and one at Bintree Wood on 24th July 2020.  Stunning little moths.

Pine Leaf-mining Moth Clavigesta purdeyi, North Elmham, 8th August 2019

Pine Leaf-mining Moth Clavigesta purdeyi, Swanton Great Wood, 27th August 2019

Pine Leaf-mining Moth Clavigesta purdeyi, Swanton Great Wood, 26th July 2020

Pine Shoot Rhyacionia buoliana - None.  I am yet to find this species anywhere but it's pretty widespread so probably occurs round here somewhere.


Orange-spotted Shoot Rhyacionia pinicolana - One caught in the garden on 25th July 2019, my third record here (2 together in 2016, one in 2018).  Also one at Swanton Great Wood on 27th August.  None in 2020.

Orange-spotted Shoot Rhyacionia pinicolana, North Elmham, 25th July 2019

Spotted Shoot Rhyacionia pinivorana - One in the garden moth trap on 18th May 2020 was only my second here and first since 2015.  The only one I found in 2019 was at Carsaig on Mull on 11th June and it turned out to be a new moth for the island!  Apparently there was an old record for the vice county that didn't specify the location - odds are that was on Mull too but that can't be assumed.  Actually I was a bit disappointed because I had been hoping mine would turn out to be an Elgin Shoot Rhyacionia logaea, a species that I've never seen but does occur on Mull, but perhaps I should be satisfied enough that it was a useful 'first' record anyway.  Also one at Hills and Holes on 21st May 2020.

male Spotted Shoot Rhyacionia pinivorana, Carsaig, 11th June 2019 - the first for Mull

Spotted Shoot Rhyacionia pinivorana, North Elmham, 18th May 2020

Next page: more Tortricidae

Spongefly

The highlight from my garden moth trap on 10th June was my first Spongefly, a group of lacewings represented by one species in Norfolk, Sisyra fuscata.  Compared to the brown lacewings (at least the ones I'm familiar with) it was small and dark, but sadly it was on its last legs (although that hadn't been apparent) and died before I managed to get any photos of it.  Not only that but it had covered itself in moth scales left in the pot I used so the photo really is bad!

Sisyra fuscata (dead), North Elmham, 10th June

A number of moths were new for the year: Obscure Groundling Bryotropha similis, Cyclamen Tortrix Clepsis spectrana, Pine Marble Piniphila bifasciana, Marbled Orchard Tortrix Hedya nubiferana, Bramble Shoot Moth Notocelia uddmanniana, 2 Little Grass-veneers Platytes cerussella, Wormwood Pug, Dingy Footman and Fan-foot.

Obscure Groundling Bryotropha similis (male, gen det), North Elmham, 10th June

Cyclamen Tortrix Clepsis spectrana, North Elmham, 10th June

Pine Marble Piniphila bifasciana, North Elmham, 10th June

Bramble Shoot Moth Notocelia uddmanniana, North Elmham, 10th June

Little Grsas-veneer Platytes cerussella, North Elmham, 10th June

Fan-foot, North Elmham, 10th June

Also of note were 2 Hawthorn Bent-wings Bucculatrix bechsteinella - my third and fourth here this year but a species I'd not recorded here at all in previous years.

Hawthorn Bent-wing Bucculatrix bechsteinella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 10th June

Other moths were Diamond-back Moth Plutella xylostella, 2 Brown House Moths Hofmannophila pseudospretella, Sloe Flat-body Luquetia lobella, Hook-marked Straw Moth Agapeta hamana, Large Fruit-tree Tortrix Archips podana, 3 Light Brown Apple Moths Epiphyas postvittana, Barred Marble Celypha striana, 5 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, 4 Triple-blotched Bells Notocelia trimaculana, 4 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, 3 Hook-streaked Grass-Veneers Crambus lathoniellus, 2 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis, Ringed China-mark Parapoynx stratiotata, Small Magpie Anania hortulata, 5 Bee Moths Aphomia sociella, Common Swift, Small Dusty Wave, 4 Riband Waves, 2 Silver-ground Carpets, Common Carpet, 2 Common Marbled Carpets, Sandy Carpet, 3 Common Pugs, 2 Green Pugs, Brown Silver-line, Scorched Wing, 2 Brimstone Moths, 3 Willow Beauties, 2 Mottled Beauties, 3 Light Emeralds, Coxcomb Prominent, 2 White Ermines, Buff Ermine, Heart and Club, 2 Heart and Darts, Flame, 4 Ingrailed Clays, Shears, Shoulder-striped Wainscot, Brown Rustic, Small Clouded Brindle, Tawny Marbled Minor (also another Marbled Minor agg. that escaped), 6 Middle-barred Minors, Treble Lines, 3 Mottled Rustics, Marbled White Spot, 3 Burnished Brasses, Spectacle, 20 Straw Dots, 5 Snouts and 4 Small Fan-foots.

Caddisflies were represented by 2 Ecnomus tenellus (new for the year), Goera pilosa and Mystacides longicornis.

Ecnomus tenellus, North Elmham, 10th June

Goera pilosa, North Elmham, 10th June

Birch Shieldbug, Fly Bug Reduvius personatus (sometimes known as Masked Hunter) and 7-spot Ladybird were all apparently new for the year though I've a feeling I've had the ladybird before and forgotten to record it.

Birch Shieldbug, North Elmham, 10th June

Next day I found 2 Case-bearing Clothes Moths Tinea pellionella in the house, a new species for the year here.

Case-bearing Clothes Moth Tinea pellionella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 10th June