Review of 2019 and 2020 - Leafhoppers part 3: subfamilies Iassinae, Macropsinae, Aphrodinae and Deltocephalinae I

LEAFHOPPERS (CICADELLIDAE) (continued)


SUBFAMILY IASSINAE


Iassus lanio - This species is common here, recorded on several nights in each of the last 4 years with a peak of 4-5 in a night, but the flight period is usually fairly short - all but one of my records fall in July.  In 2019 they were compressed into one week, recorded on 6 nights between 19th and 25th July, a bit later than in 2017 (4th to 21st) or 2018 (5th to 20th).  They were a bit more spread out in 2020 with 5 between 1st and 26th July and then a late one on 20th August.  Also 2 to light at the Cathedral Meadows on 26th July 2019 and about 30 there on 18th July 2020.  Elsewhere one at Bintree Wood on 24th July 2020.  I haven't kept data on forms but the green form is usually commoner than the brown ones shown below which seem to be the only ones I got sharable photos of these years.

Iassus lanio, North Elmham, 19th July 2019

Iassus lanio, North Elmham, 20th August 2020

SUBFAMILY MACROPSINAE


Oncopsis flavicollis - 3 in the garden moth trap on each of the 1st & 2nd June 2019, plus one on 23rd June.  Slightly more numerous in 2020 with 7 between 20th May and 26th July.  Also one on Downy Birch at the meadows on 24th June 2019 and one to light at Bintree Wood on 13th June 2020.  Given the variation in face pattern I resorted to checking the genitalia on a few of each species of Oncopsis, just to make sure I was on the right track.

Oncopsis flavicollis, North Elmham, 1st June 2019

male Oncopsis flavicollis, North Elmham, 20th May 2020

male Oncopsis flavicollis, North Elmham, 16th June 2020

female Oncopsis flavicollis, North Elmham, 26th June 2020 - is this yellow form unique to female flavicollis or can subangulata look like this too?

Oncopsis subangulata - Singles in the garden moth trap on 30th May 2019 and 12th June and 4th July 2020.  I've recorded this species slightly less often than Oncopsis flavicollis and only ever one at a time (whereas I've caught up to 4 flavicollis at a time).  With some of my earlier records I'm not sure I always 100% eliminated a poorly-marked flavicollis but more recently I've been checking the genitalia where there's any doubt.

male Oncopsis subangulata, North Elmham, 12th June 2020 - showing the equal-pronged aedaegus basal supports

male Oncopsis subangulata, North Elmham, 4th July 2020

Macropsis scotti - None.  I found one of these at the meadows in 2018.


Macropsis sp. - I found this extraordinary-looking leafhopper nymph at Winterton on 19th August 2019 and was struck by the Stegosaurus-like projections along its dorsum.  Bemused by its ID I posted a pic on Twitter and Tristan Bantock kindly replied to say it was one of the Macropsis.

Macrospsis sp. nymph, Winterton, 19th August

SUBFAMILY APHRODINAE


Aphrodes bicinctus/makarovi - Piecing together the information I could find about separating these two species I eventually became satisfied that 3 females caught in my garden moth trap between 5th and 14th October 2019 were Aphrodes bicinctus.  However, when I looked back at these IDs a year later I'm not entirely sure what criteria I was going on - my notes refer to characters that appear to relate to the RES key's differentiation between bicinctus and aestuarinus, and I wonder if I had wrongly understood aestuarinus to be a synonym of makarovi.  The RES key treats aestuarinus as a subspecies of bicinctus and I wonder if I got confused having read that makarovi had previously been considered a form of bicinctus?  Anyway, whatever my thinking at the time, makarovi isn't covered in the key and was split from bicinctus more recently, so keying them to bicinctus does not help to rule out makarovi.  Unfortunately I didn't retain a record of their size and at least one of them seems to have pale wing veins which is supposed to be a character of makarovi.  So in hindsight I think I should regard these as bicinctus/makarovi agg. and hope to catch more in future that I can resolve positively.  I didn't catch any at home in 2020 but did catch one at Whitwell Street on 3rd September 2020, however I was unable to satisfy myself whether this female was bicinctus or the commoner makarovi.  In view of the confusion I think my previous records of makarovi from here and the meadows in 2018 are perhaps also best treated as aggs. at least until such time as I can find one I can positively identify.

Aphrodes bicinctus/makarovi agg., North Elmham, 5th October 2019

Aphrodes bicinctus/makarovi agg., North Elmham, 12th October 2019

Aphrodes bicinctus/makarovi agg., North Elmham, 15th October 2019

SUBFAMILY DELTOCEPHALINAE


Psammotettix confinis - My first example of this species came to light at the meadows on 8th September 2020.  In view of the similarity of this species to others in the genus I attempted to check its genitalia, but I messed it up, initially extracting what I thought was the aedeagus before realising it wasn't and then being unable to find the real thing.  I think the ID should be safe enough from external characters, but let me know if you disagree.

Psammotettix confinis, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 8th September 2020

Psammotettix striatus - A leafhopper caught in the garden moth trap on 25th July 2019 seemed to key to this species which is supposed to restricted to the Brecks (or at least it was when the RES key to Deltocephalinae was published, but that was 1969).  The Brecks aren't all that far away so it's not entirely implausible but even if the description of the range isn't up to date it's a Red Data Book species so worth making quite sure.  The wings clearly exceeded the abdomen and the length was about 4.0mm (which is the bottom end for striatus).  The genitalia are a little tough to match up the the figures in the key but the long narrow stem to the aedeagus from behind seems to eliminate most of the similar species.  The side view isn't perhaps quite as it should be though, so I'm not absolutely 100% sure and would be grateful for others' thoughts.

possible Psammotettix striatus, North Elmham, 25th July 2019 (lower two photos show aedeagus, firstly in situ from behind and then detached from the side)

Next page: more leafhoppers

3 new moths for the garden and a new lacewing

It was a poor night by neighbouring night's standards on 4th August with just 40 species.  Only one was new for the year, though a moth I'd only seen here once before: Small Dotted Buff.

Small Dotted Buff, North Elmham, 4th August

Other moths were Carrion Moth Monopis weaverella, Hawthorn Slender Parornix anglicella, Beech Midget Phyllonorycter maestingella, 2 Little Ermines Swammerdamia pyrella, Woundwort Case-bearer Coleophora lineolea, Brown House Moth Hofmannophila pseudospretella, Straw Conch Cochylimorpha straminea, 3 Garden Rose Tortrixes Acleris variegana, 2 Barred Marbles Celypha striana, Hoary Bell Eucosma cana, 9 Straw Grass-veneers Agriphila straminella, 30 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, Beautiful China-mark Nymphula nitidulata, Mother of Pearl Pleuroptya ruralis, Rosy Tabby Endotricha flammealis, 2 Common Plumes Emmelina monodactyla, Single-dotted Wave, Red Twin-spot Carpet, Shaded Broad-bar, Common Carpet, Small Waved Umber, Maple Pug, Dusky Thorn, Early Thorn, Scalloped Oak, Pebble Prominent, Swallow Prominent, Coxcomb Prominent, 2 Dingy Footmen, Ruby Tiger, 5 Turnip Moths, 2 Flame Shoulders, Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, 6 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, 3 Common Wainscots, 2 Straw Underwings, Twin-spotted Wainscot, Silver Y and 7 Straw Dots.

Twin-spotted Wainscot, North Elmham, 4th August

Other insects included Blue-winged Olive Serratella ignita (a mayfly) and Bradycellus verbasci (a beetle). Also noticed a Common Zebra Spider Salticus scenicus indoors during the day.

The following night was considerably better. with no less than 3 new moths for the garden including one I'd never seen anywhere before.  The lifer was Clouded Slender Caloptilia populetorum, apparently an increasing species with as many records in Norfolk in the last couple of years as there had ever been up to 2015.

Clouded Slender Caloptilia populetorum, North Elmham, 5th August

I thought this very worn moth was going to be one of the Momphids but on dissection it clearly didn't fit.  Skimming through other genitalia diagrams came across similar ones for the two Blastodacna species.  I see hellerella quite often and this was much bigger (forewing length 6 mm, worn).  Mine was in fact an Apple-pith Moth Blastodacna atra, a much rarer species.  I'd seen one in 2012 when living at Bawdeswell wbich was only second site the species had been recorded at in Norfolk since the 1800s and 3 people have recorded them since then, but it remains a very scarce species in Norfolk.  Don't think I would have ever guessed this ID from the moth's external appearance, although the size would have been a pretty big clue if I'd ever managed to figure out that it was a Blastodacna.  Fortunately there are a few small differences in the genitalia and this confirmed it.  The one I saw in 2012 was much easier!

Apple-pith Moth Blastodacna atra (female, gen det), North Elmham, 5th August

The third new moth for the garden had come from at least 15 miles away and was a bit more straightforward to identify: a Saltmarsh Plume Agdistis bennetii.  My third saltmarsh species this summer, though unlike the Silver-streaked Case-bearer Coleophora limoniella and the Saltern Groundling Scrobipalpa instabililla this species is well-known for occasionally wandering inland.

Saltmarsh Plume Agdistis bennetii, North Elmham, 5th August

There were 3 more moths that were new for the year: Pine Leaf-mining Moth Clavigesta purdeyi, Miller and 5 Flounced Rustics.

Pine Leaf-mining Moth Clavigesta purdeyi, North Elmham, 5th August

Miller, North Elmham, 5th August

Flounced Rustics, North Elmham, 5th August

A Twin-spotted Wainscot was my fifth this year - remarkable for a not-particularly-common species that lives in reedbeds.  It was in fact the fourth consecutive night the species turned up here, but definitely different individuals involved.  Also noteworthy were 4 Maple Pugs - double the highest number I've trapped on one night before.  Another record count was 6 Golden Argents Argyresthia goedartella.

Maple Pug, North Elmham, 5th August

The other moths were Carrion Moth Monopis weaverella, Bird’s-nest Moth Tinea trinotella, a Parornix sp. (escaped before it could be identified), Ermine sp. Yponomeuta padella/malinellus/cagnagella, 2 Little Ermines Swammerdamia pyrella, 3 Diamond-backs Plutella xylostella, Small Dingy Tubic Borkhausenia fuscescens, 3 Brown House Moths Hofmannophila pseudospretella, 2 Long-horned Flat-bodies Carcina quercana, Dark Neb Bryotropha affinis, 4 Cinerous Nebs Bryotropha terrella, House Neb Bryotropha domestica, 5 Dingy Dowds Blastobasis adustella, 2 Light Brown Apple-moths Epiphyas postvittana, 2 Garden Rose Tortrixes Acleris variegana, Barred Marble Celypha striana, Blotched Marble Endothenia quadrimaculana, Rush Marble Bactra lancealana, 3 Marbled Piercers Cydia splendana, 23 Straw Grass-veneers Agriphila straminella, 33 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, 2 Water Veneers Acentria ephemerella, Little Grey Eudonia lacustrata, 2 Small Greys Eudonia mercurella, 2 Beautiful China-marks Nymphula nitidulata, Garden Pebble Evergestis forficalis, Pale Straw Pearl Udea lutealis, 15 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, 3 Grey Knot-horns Acrobasis advenella, Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla, Blood-vein, 3 Single-dotted Waves, 2 Red Twin-spot Carpets, 5 Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpets, Common Carpet, Small Phoenix, 2 Currant Pugs, 3 Double-striped Pugs, 3 Yellow-barred Brindles, 2 Magpie Moths, 2 Brimstone Moths, 2 Canary-shouldered Thorns, 2 Willow Beauties, Lesser Swallow Prominent, Pale Prominent, 2 Dingy Footmen, Scarce Footman, 3 Turnip Moths, 3 Shuttle-shaped Darts, 12 Flame Shoulders, 4 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwings, 9 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, White-point, 3 Common Wainscots, 3 Straw Underwings, Cloaked Minor, 2 Vine's Rustics, Spectacle and 5 Straw Dots.

Yellow-barred Brindle, North Elmham, 5th August

Cloaked Minor, North Elmham, 5th August

Among the other insects the clear highlight was another new pine-feeding brown lacewing, this time Hemerobius stigma.

Hemerobius stigma, North Elmham, 5th August

Other lacewings were 2 Chrysoperla carnea, Cunctochrysa albolineata, Dichochrysa flavifrons and 3 Micromus variegatus.  Mayflies consisted of Pond Olive Cloeon dipterum, Pale Evening Dun Procloeon bifidum and 8 Blue-winged Olives Serratella ignita and the caddisflies were 2 Ithytrichia lamellaris, Hydropsyche pellucidula, 4 Hydropsyche siltalai, Limnephilus marmoratus, Molanna angustata and Leptocerus tineiformis.

Among the leafhoppers this Lamprotettix nitidulus was new for the year.

Lamptotettix nitidulus, North Elmham, 5th August

I think this leafhopper is Oncopsis flavicollis but I have never seen this form before - it looks completely different from others I've seen.

Oncopsis flavicollis, North Elmham, 5th August

Apart from those leafhoppers, the only bug was Stenodema calcarata.

Stenodema calcarata, North Elmham, 5th August

Acorn Weevil Curculio glandium was new for the year.  Other beetles were 3 Amara apricaria, Bradycellus verbasci, Nicrophorus investigator and Aphodius rufipes.

Acorn Weevil Curculio glandium, North Elmham, 5th August

Finally there were 5 Hornets.

Row Heath

On Saturday 27th May the Norfolk Moth Survey headed up to Row Heath, on the Sheringham-Cromer ridge south of West Runton.  It's a great area of woodland bordering heathland which hasn't been properly surveyed before so it was a good opportunity to see what was there.  The weather was kind too, so we were in for a good night.

For many people, myself included, the highlight was a Barred Hook-tip, a scarce macro in the county which I'd never seen before.

Barred Hook-tip, Row Heath, 27th May

A tiny dark moth with obvious eye-caps defied identification in the field but eventually it became clear to me that it was one of the Stigmella atricapitella/ruficapitella pair, the males of which can be distinguished by the length of their andriconial hair scales on their hindwings.  Once I'd realised which scales were andriconial I was able to identify this one as Black-headed Pigmy Stigmella atricapitella, another new species for me.

Black-headed Pigmy Stigmella atricapitella, Row Heath, 27th May

There are loads of species in this family and the majority are usually only recorded as leafmines - the adults are fiendishly difficult to identify (even when looking at their genitalia in most cases) and not seen very often either.  We managed to see two this night, but the second I haven't been able to put a name to.  I wondered if it might be the paler-based form of salicella (though I don't recall there being much sallow there) or possibly floslactella?

Pigmy sp. Stigmella sp., Row Heath, 27th May

Another good macro was the highlight for at least one person, and was, or rather were, only my second and third ever: 2 Little Emeralds.

Little Emeralds, Row Heath, 27th May

Though not especially rare a Honeysuckle Midget Phyllonorycter trifasciella was my first in Norfolk having only seen one in Cornwall previously.  There was also a Red Hazel Midget Phyllonorycter nicellii.

Honeywuckle Midget Phyllonorycter trifasciella, Row Heath, 27th May

Other good macros included Grey Birch, Small White Wave and Brindled White-spot - the first two of those were my second records.

Grey Birch, Row Heath, 27th May

Brindled White-spot, Row Heath, 27th May

As always on occasions like this a few moths were quite educational for various reasons.  We saw several Common Tortrixes Capua vulgana (which despite their name are far from common - only about 13 records in Norfolk).  They are supposed to be easily identified by their pale shoulders but although one had clear pale shoulders and another (a male) had less distinct pale shoulders (I suspect they'd have been clearer when it was fresh), two females showed virtually no hint of pale shoulders.

Common Tortrix Capua vulgana, Row Heath, 27th May

Common Tortrix Capua vulgana (male), Row Heath, 27th May

Common Tortrix Capua vulgana (females), Row Heath, 27th May

There were several Small Rivulets and Garry found what he thought might be a Rivulet.  To me it looked too small and some of us felt that it was in fact another Small Rivulet.  There had been a suggestion that it only had a single indentation on the white cross band which would make it Rivulet but on closer inspection It did in fact show two indentations.  These were of unequal size – various references say Small Rivulet usually shows two indentations of equal size while Rivulet usually shows only a single indentation.  In my experience they are more commonly of unequal size in Small Rivulet (and this is supported by photos on reliable websites like Lepiforum) but a similar pattern is sometimes found in Rivulet too.  It seems that most cases where Rivulet has two indentations they are more unequal in size than the majority of Small Rivulets, but with some overlap.  For me the pattern of Garry’s moth was fine for Small Rivulet but did not rule out Rivulet, so to settle it I took it home to measure and if necessary gen det.  The forewing length was 11 mm – inside the upper end of the range for Small Rivulet (9-11 mm) and outside of the bottom end of the range for Rivulet (12-15 mm) – so it seemed it was a Small Rivulet as I’d thought.  As I had the specimen I checked the genitalia just to confirm… and it turns out it was a male Rivulet after all!

Rivulet (small but not Small; male, gen det), Row Heath, 27th May

This V-Pug caught some of us out as it wasn't the usual green colour.  I had a vague recollection of having seen one like this before and indeed it is the case that old examples can wear to this colour.

V-Pug, Row Heath, 27th May

It seems that I'm not the only one who sees some of the conifer tortrix moths rarely enough that I can't remember how to distinguish them without looking them up.  We saw quite a few Spotted Shoot Moths Rhyacionia pinivorana as well as some Pine Bud Moths Pseudococcyx turionella.

Pine Bud Moths Pseudococcyx turionella, Row Heath, 27th May

Spotted Shoot Moths Rhyacionia pinivorana, Row Heath, 27th May

Other micros included 2 Bordered Carls Coptotriche marginea, Feathered Bright Incurvaria masculella, 3 Large Long-horns Nematopogon swammerdamella, Meadow Long-horn Cauchas rufimitrella, Cork Moth Nemapogon cloacella, Daisy Bent-wing Bucculatrix nigricomella, Birch Bent-wing Bucculatrix demaryella, 3 New Oak Slenders Caloptilia robustella, 2 Apple Fruit Moths Argyresthia conjugella, 2 Gorse Case-bearers Coleophora albicosta, Buff Rush Case-bearer Coleophora caespititiella, Crescent Groundling Teleiodes luculella, Large Groundling Teleiopsis diffinis, 3 Heather Groundlings Neofaculta ericetella, Winter Groundling Scrobipalpa costella, Hook-marked Straw Moth Agapeta hamana, Dark-barred Tortrix Syndemis musculana, 2 Light Brown Apple Moths Epiphyas postvittana, 4 Brassy Tortrixes Eulia ministrana, Common Marble Celypha lacunana, Oak Marble Lobesia reliquana, 2 Rush Marbles Bactra lancealana, 2 Bridge Rollers Ancylis uncella, Red Roller Ancylis mitterbacheriana, Pine Bell Epinotia rubiginosana, Little Beech Piercer Strophedra weirana, 2 Grey Gorse Piercers Cydia ulicetana, Meadow Grey Scoparia pyralella and 4 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis.

Daisy Bent-wing Bucculatrix nigricomella (male, gen det), Row Heath, 27th May

Apple Fruit Moth Argyresthia conjugella, Row Heath, 27th May

Bridge Roller Ancylis uncella, Row Heath, 27th May

Oak Marble Lobesia reliquana, Row Heath, 27th May

Little Beech Piercer Strophedra weirana (male, gen det), Row Heath, 27th May

Large Groundling Teleiopsis diffinis, Row Heath, 27th May

Feathered Bright Incurvaria masculella, Row Heath, 27th May

Gorse Case-bearer Coleophora albicosta (male, gen det), Row Heath, 27th May

The other macros were Gold Swift, Common Swift, Scalloped Hook-tip, Pebble Hook-tip, Chinese Character, Peach Blossom, Small Blood-vein, Cream Wave, Flame Carpet, Red Twin-spot Carpet, 5 Silver-ground Carpets, 8 Common Marbled Carpets, 8 Grey Pine Carpets, 2 Green Carpets, 3 Foxglove Pugs, Lime-speck Pug, Common Pug, 2 Ochreous Pugs, Small Yellow Wave, Yellow-barred Brindle, Clouded Border, Tawny-barred Angle, Brown Silver-line, 2 Scorched Wings, 3 Brimstone Moths, Scalloped Hazel, 2 Peppered Moths, 2 Pale Oak Beauties, Common White Wave, 6 White-pinion Spotteds, Clouded Silver, Light Emerald, 2 Lime Hawk-moths, 2 Poplar Hawk-moths, Alder Kitten, Coxcomb Prominent, Maple Prominent, Marbled Brown, Lobster Moth, Great Prominent, Pale Tussock, 3 Orange Footmen, 2 White Ermines, 2 Buff Ermines, 2 Least Black Arches, Flame Shoulder, Early Grey, Alder Moth, Clouded-bordered Brindle, Treble Lines, Nut-tree Tussock, Spectacle, Straw Dot and Small Fan-foot.

Lime Hawk-moth, Row Heath, 27th May

Alder Kitten, Row Heath, 27th May

Maple Prominent, Row Heath, 27th May

There were plenty of other insects too.  Lacewings included Chrysopidia ciliata and Hemerobius lutescens.

Chrysopidia ciliata, Row Heath, 27th May

Caddisflies included this Limnephilus marmoratus.

Limnephilus marmoratus, Row Heath, 27th May

Bugs included my first Oncopsis flavicollis and a Thamnotettix dilutior, both leafhoppers.

Oncopsis flavicollis, Row Heath, 27th May

Thamnotettix dilutior, Row Heath, 27th May

Beetles included Black Clock Beetle Pterostichus madidus, my first Melanotus villosus and Phyllobius argentatus.

Black Clock Beetle Pterostichus madidus, Row Heath, 27th May

Melanotus villosus, Row Heath, 27th May

The most obvious beetle, in fact the most obvious insect of any type, was Cockchafer - there were hundreds!  You can see a liberal scattering of them on my sheet here... (PS: you don't have to be middle-aged male and either bald or bearded to go mothing).

moth-ers, Row Heath, 27th May