Review of 2019 and 2020 - Moths: Erebids (Erebidae) part 1: Herald, Straw Dot, Snouts and Tussocks and allies

EREBIDS (EREBIDAE)


Herald Scoliopteryx libatrix - Singles in the garden on 23rd and 24th April and 2nd May 2019 and on 5th April 2020.  I've had between 1-4 every year I've trapped here.  I've not caught this species anywhere else since living here.

Herald, North Elmham, 23rd April 2019

Herald, North Elmham, 5th April 2020

Straw Dot Rivula sericealis - At least 106 caught in the garden between 30th May and 25th September 2019 but no counts on 9 dates so the true total may have been higher (but possibly not a lot as a lot of counts of one around this period).  Almost certainly my worst year here, 2020 being the next worst year with 166 between 26th May and 30th September.  Over the previous 4 years I averaged nearly 460 a year.  Elsewhere caught next door on 3 nights, 20 seen at the meadows on 13 dates and 3-4 at Bintree Wood, Whitwell Street and Swanton Great Wood and singles at Hills and Holes and in Cornwall.

Straw Dot, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May 2019

Snout Hypena proboscidalis - Totals of 105 caught in the garden between 23rd June and 20th October 2019 and 91 between 3rd June and 27th September 2020.  I catch more than double those totals in an average year - these were my worst totals so far.  Elsewhere a total of 29 over 17 dates at the meadows, 6 in Hellesdon, 9 in Cornwall and 1-2 at Bintree Wood, Whitwell Street, Swanton Great Wood, Weybourne and Row Heath (West Runton).

Snout, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 21st June 2019

Snout, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 22nd August 2019

Snout, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 23rd June 2020

Buttoned Snout Hypena rostralis - One in the garden moth trap on 18th May 2020.  I've had 2 here before, in 2015 and 2017 (and 4 at my old house in Bawdeswell between 2010 and 2014).

Buttoned Snout, North Elmham, 18th May 2020

White Satin Leucoma salicis - None at home in either year or in any year since 2016, though 2 here in each of 2015 and 2016 and one next door in 2017.  One at the meadows on 18th July 2020 was my only record in 2019-20, my second here.

White Satin, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 18th July 2020

Black Arches Lymantria monacha - 4 caught in the garden between 22nd and 27th July 2019 and 6 between 18th and 26th July 2020.  I've never gone lower than 4 and the previous 2 years' totals weren't much higher but before that 22 in 2016.  Elsewhere one next door, 2 at the meadows, 3 at Bintree Wood, 5 at Swanton Great Wood and 2 at Row Heath (West Runton) on 31st August.

Black Arches, North Elmham, 23rd July 2019

Black Arches, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 4th August 2019

Black Arches, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 7th August 2019

Gypsy Moth Lymantria dispar - I've never caught this species myself but I did get to see one that someone else caught in 2019.  I don't normally twitch moths that other people catch but I took a call from Chris Mills who said that a friend who was staying in his house (while he was overseas)and  had caught what appeared to be this species.  His friend wanted someone else to go along and see it in order to confirm the ID as as I was at Winterton I was happy to pop in on my way home and take a look.  After becoming extinct in the 19th century this species is re-establishing itself in a few areas in southern England.  This was the 5th Norfolk record since 2016 and there were another 5 records in 2020 so it seems like it may be in the process of colonising Norfolk.  In any case we can expect more in coming years...

Gypsy Moth, Themelthorpe, caught by Sean on 18th August 2019

Brown-tail Euproctis chrysorrhoea - 3 caught in the garden between 11th and 26th July 2019 and 9 between 13th and 29th July 2020.  3-4 a year here is normal but I'd never gone above 6 before.  Elsewhere one at Weybourne on 5th July 2019 and 30 at Brancaster on 2nd July 2020.

Brown-tail, Brancaster, 2nd July 2020

Yellow-tail Euproctis similis - At least 17 between 11th July and 3rd August 2019 and 40 between 18th June and 12th August 2020.  Although not counted on 3 nights in 2019, so the actual total may have been a little higher than 17, this was certainly my worst year for Yellow-tails here - I averaged 68 a year between 2015 and 2018.  Elsewhere a couple next door, 3 at the meadows (plus a caterpillar on 27th May 2020), one at Bintree Wood and 2 caterpillars at Titchwell on 1st June 2019.

Yellow-tail caterpillar, Titchwell, 1st June 2019

Yellow-tail caterpillar, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 27th May 2020

Pale Tussock Calliteara pudibunda - Totals of 12 caught in the garden between 22nd April and 30th June 2019 and 7 between 9th and 22nd May 2020.  15 a year is average and these were my worst showings since moving here.  Elsewhere 4 at the meadows and 8 at Hills and Holes.

Pale Tussock, North Elmham, 22nd April 2019

Pale Tussock, North Elmham, 9th May 2020

Pale Tussock, Hills and Holes, 21st May 2020

Vapourer Orgyia antiqua - Singles in the garden moth trap on 6th Augsut and 26th September 2020.  I'd only ever caught 2 here before (2015 and 2017) though I'd also found a caterpillar in 2014.  Elsewhere oone to light at the meadows on 30th July 2019 and then 3 seen in flight in daytime on 15th-17th October; another to light on 18th July 2020.  Also one day-flying at Cromer on 22nd October 2019. 

Vapourer, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 22nd July 2019

Vapourer, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 18th July 2020

Vapourer, North Elmham, 26th September 2020

Next page: more Erebidae

Lynford leafmines

It was the Norfolk Moth Survey's annual autumn leaf-mining event on 13th October and this year we were at Lynford.  I'm rubbish at leaf-mines so turned up hoping to learn, and thankfully there was plenty of expertise on hand.  I didn't race round making sure I saw every single leaf-mine that anyone found, but tried to get a name for everything I was able to photograph at least, so my account won't be anything like a complete list of what was found that day.

I took a small number of leaves home with me with a view to attempting to rear them through over the winter.  I've not done this before and I don't think I got the technique exactly right (I got some good advice on the day but didn't have all the materials handy to follow it in full).  I hoped it was close enough and as I write this in the spring, moths are just starting to emerge.

I took some Poplar leaves home with me containing mines of New Poplar Pigmies Ectoedemia hannoverella.  There were loads of these on the ground so I took several in order to maximise my chances of success, and these have been the first to emerge.  In fact I think I took five leaf-mines back with me and five moths have emerged - 4 on (or shortly before) 14th April and 1 on 15th April.

leaf-mine of New Poplar Pigmy Ectoedmia hannoverella, Lynford, 13th October

New Poplar Pigmies Ectoedmia hannoverella, 14th April, emerged from mines collected from Lynford, 13th October (top two images are same individual)

A couple of days later a Large Birch Pigmy Ectoedemia occultella also emerged.

leaf-mine of Large Birch Pigmy Ectoedmia occultella, Lynford, 13th October

Large Birch Pigmy Ectoedmia occultella, 16th April, emerged from mines collected from Lynford, 13th October

Other Ectoedemia species included Five-spot Pigmy Ectoedemia quinquella and Hypericum Pigmy Ectoedemia septembrella.

leaf-mines of Five-spot Pigmies Ectoedmia quinquella, Lynford, 13th October

leaf-mines of Hypericum Pigmies Ectoedmia septembrella, Lynford, 13th October

There was also this strange one that instead of mining leaves mines the bark.  Oak-bark Pigmy is an aggregate pair - you can't tell if it is Ectoedemia atrifrontella or Ectoedemia longicaudella without rearing them through, and due to the nature of their mines they can be quite hard to collect in order to do that.  Consequently neither species has been confirmed in Norfolk yet.

leaf-mine of Oak-bark Pigmy agg. Ectoedmia atrifrontella/longicaudella, Lynford, 13th October

Other Nepticulids included Double-barred Pigmy Stigmella continuella, Barred Sycamore Pigmy Stigmella speciosa, Sallow Pigmy Stigmella salicis*, Coarse Hazel Pigmy Stigmella floslactella, Beech Pigmy Stigmella hemargyrella, Chestnut Pigmy Stigmella samiatella, Rose Leaf-miner Stigmella anomalella, Apple Pigmy Stigmella malella, Buckthorn Pigmy Stigmella catharticella, Scarce Maple Pigmy Stigmella aceris and Nut-tree Pigmy Stigmella microtheriella.

*Apparently they reckon that salicis in fact comprises several different species. They're not properly named yet, but these apparently belonged to what they're currently calling 'section 6'.

leaf-mine of Double-barred Pigmy Stigmella continuella, Lynford, 13th October

leaf-mine of Barred Sycamore Pigmy Stigmella speciosa, Lynford, 13th October

leaf-mine of Sallow Pigmy Stigmella salicis (section 6), Lynford, 13th October

leaf-mine of Coarse Hazel Pigmy Stigmella flosilactella, Lynford, 13th October

leaf-mine of Chestnut Pigmy Stigmella sanuatella, Lynford, 13th October

leaf-mine of Rose Leaf-miner Stigmella anomalella, Lynford, 13th October

leaf-mine of Appe Pigmy Stigmella malella, Lynford, 13th October

leaf-mine of Buckthron Pigmy Stigmella catharticella, Lynford, 13th October

leaf-mine of Scarce Maple Pigmy Stigmella aceris, Lynford, 13th October

leaf-mine amd larva of Nut-tree Pigmy Stigmella microtheriella, Lynford, 13th October

There were quite a few Phyllonorycter mines too, including Garden Midget Phyllonorycter messaniella, London Midget Phyllonorycter platani, Hawthorn Midget Phyllonorycter corylifoliella, Willow Midget Phyllonorycter viminiella, Common Alder Midget Phyllonorycter rajella, Broad-barred Midget Phyllonorycter froelichiella, Red Hazel Midget Phyllonorycter nicellii and Dark Alder Midget Phyllonorycter klemannella, plus the closely related Willow Bent-wing Phyllocnistis saligna.

leaf-mine of London Midget Phyllonorycter platani, Lynford, 13th October with caterpillar emerging from slit

leaf-mine of Hawthorn Midget Phyllonorycter corylifoliella, Lynford, 13th October

leaf-mines of Common Alder Midget Phyllonorycter rajella, Lynford, 13th October

leaf-mines of Broad-barred Midget Phyllonorycter froelichiella, Lynford, 13th October

leaf-mine of Red Hazel Midget Phyllonorycter nicellii, Lynford, 13th October

leaf-mine of Willow Bent-wing Phyllocnistis saligna, Lynford, 13th October

I suspect I won't get a Willow Midget Phyllonorycter viminiella emerging as I got this emerging instead.  I think it's a chalcid wasp, and I think they parasitise things like Phyllonorycter larvae.  I hope I'm wrong though, but if not I enjoyed the wasp too, though I don't think I've got much chance of identifying it.  Tricky to photograph at hardly more than 1.5 mm long...

unidentified chalcid wasp, 14th April, emerged from a pot containing leaf-mine of Willow Midget Phyllonorycter viminiella collected from Lynford, 13th October

I could see a bit more detail through the microscope but it's always hard to get decent quality images through there.  I don't think the colour balance is quite right, but it was pretty bright!

the same unidentified chalcid wasp, 14th April, emerged from a pot containing leaf-mine of Willow Midget Phyllonorycter viminiella collected from Lynford, 13th October

leaf-mine of Willow Midget Phyllonorycter viminiella, Lynford, 13th October

I also had a beetle come out of the pot that contained the Southern Midget Phyllonorycter dubitella leaf-mine.  I haven't identified the beetle yet, but not sure if that had come from the leaf or the compost I put in with the leaf-mine, but while I was looking at it another chalcid wasp appeared like the last one.  I am not 100% sure, but I think it came from the same pot so I doubt if that will emerge either, although I think I had more than one mine in the pot so I won't give up hope on that yet.

leaf-mines of Southern Midget Phyllonrycter dubitella, Lynford, 13th October

Other leafmines included Oak Carl Tischeria ekebladella, Alder Lift Heliozela resplendella, Broom Bent-wing Leucoptera spartifoliella, Buckthorn Bent-wing Bucculatrix frangutella, Hazel Slender Parornix devoniella, Hedge Cosmet Cosmopterix zieglerella and Common Cloaked Shoot Gypsonoma dealbana.

leaf-mine of Oak Carl Tischeria ekebladella, Lynford, 13th October

leaf-mine of Alder Lift Heliozela resplendella, Lynford, 13th October

leaf-mine of Broom Bent-wing Leucoptera spartifoliella, Lynford, 13th October (lower photo shows egg at the start of the mine, a close up of the left hand end of the upper photo)

leaf-mine of Buckthorn Bent-wing Bucculatrix frangutella, Lynford, 13th October

leaf-mine of Hazel Slender Parornix devoniella, Lynford, 13th October

leaf-mine of Hedge Cosmet Cosmopterix zieglerella, Lynford, 13th October

leaf-mine of Common Cloaked Shoot Gypsonoma dealbana, Lynford, 13th October

There were also some cases found for Coleophora, including Buff Birch Case-bearer Coleophora milvipennis, Larch Case-bearer Coleophora laricella and Yarrow Case-bearer Coleophora argentula.

larval case of Buff Birch Case-bearer Coleophora milvipennis, Lynford, 13th October

larval case of Larch Case-bearer Coleophora laricella, Lynford, 13th October

With James Emerson and Graham Moates on hand there were a few fly mines identified too.  The ones I noted down were Agromyza alnivora, Agromyza anthracina and Agromyza sulfuriceps.

leaf-mine of Agromyza alnivora, Lynford, 13th October

leaf-mine of Agromyza anthracina, Lynford, 13th October

leaf-mine of Agromyza sulfuriceps, Lynford, 13th October

There were some other things too, like this sawfly mine of Metallus albipes.

leaf-mine of Metallus albipes, Lynford, 13th October

There were some non-mining caterpillars found too.  Best was this Pale Tussock caterpillar, although the Yarrow Pug was scarcer.

Pale Tussock caterpillar, Lynford, 13th October

Yarrow Pug caterpillar, Lynford, 13th October

There was also this hoverfly larva, not that I would have had a clue that that was what it was if other people hadn't told me.

hoverfly larva, Lynford, 13th October

A couple of adult moths were seen too: Notch-wing Button Acleris emargana and Nut-bud Moth Epinotia tenerana.  Other adult insects included the caddisfly Anabolia nervosus and the leafhopper Allygus mixtus.

Alygus mixtus, Lynford, 13th October

A new bug for me was Corizus hyoscyami - there were at least 3 on some Storksbill.

Corizus hyoscyami, Lynford, 13th October

I also found this aphid on me as I was rummaging through some Sycamore foliage.  I'm not sure it's a safe enough ID to officially record it but I'm pretty sure it's a Sapling Sycamore Aphid Drepanosiphum acerinum, probably 4th instar or thereabouts.

presumed Sapling Sycamore Aphid Drepanosiphum acerinum, Lynford, 13th October

Another interesting thing we found was an Alder Tongue gall, a chemically-induced distortion of alder catkins caused by the fungus Taphrina alni.

Alder Tongue gall caused by Taphrina alni, Lynford, 13th October

Other galls were caused by Willow Redgall Sawfly Pontania proxima.