Review of 2019 and 2020 - Moths: Noctuids (Noctuidae) part 11: Lacanobia Brocades to Hadena Coronets

NOCTUIDS (NOCTUIDAE) (continued)


Light Brocade Lacanobia w-latinum - None.  I caught 10 here between 2015 and 2017 but that's 3 consecutive years now without catching any here.


Pale-shouldered Brocade Lacanobia thalassina - 2 worn individuals at Carsaig (Mull) on 11th and 13th June 2019 but none at home in either year.  As with the previous species that's now 3 consecutive blank years here, after 5 caught between 2015 and 2017.

Pale-shouldered Brocade, Carsaig (Mull), 11th June 2019

Pale-shouldered Brocade, Carsaig (Mull), 13th June 2019

Dog's Tooth Lacanobia suasa - None.  I've never caught this species locally but there are a few records in mid Norfolk so I may get it round here sometime.


Bright-line Brown-eye Lacanobia oleracea - Totals of 21 in the garden between 16th May and 1st August 2019 and 16 between 3rd June and 23rd July 2020 - my worst years so far (average annual total over 6 years is 39).  Elsewhere one next door, 3 at the meadows, one at Bintree Wood, 4 at Hellesdon and one at Brancaster.

Bright-line Brown-eye, North Elmham, 16th May 2019

Bright-line Brown-eye, North Elmham, 4th June 2020

Dot Moth Melanchra persicariae - Just a single record each year in the garden, on 7th July 2019 and 26th June 2020.  I've never come so close to a nil return before - I only caught 3 in 2017 but in other years I've had between 14 and 28.  Elsewhere one at Weybourne on 5th July 2019.

Dot Moth, North Elmham, 26th June 2020

Broom Moth Ceramica pisi - 6 on Mull including 4 from 9th to 12th June 2019 at our accommodation at Carsaig and 2 at other sites on 13th June. That doubled the total number I've ever seen.  In Norfolk this species seems to be commonest in the Brecks and I've not recorded it locally - however there are quite a few records from the other moth-trapper in my road (none very recent) so I hope to get it here eventually.  None in 2020.

Broom Moth, Carsaig (Mull), 9th June 2019

Broom Moth, Carsaig (Mull), 11th June 2019

Shears Hada plebeja - 5 in the garden between 20th May and 7th June 2019 - my worst year here so far (but I was away for a week during their flight period) - and 9 between 20th May and 14th June 2020.  I average 11 a year here.  Elsewhere singles at Carsaig (Mull) on 10th and 11th June 2019.

Shears, North Elmham, 20th May 2019

Shears, Carsaig (Mull), 10th June 2019

Shears, Carsaig (Mull), 11th June 2019

Shears, North Elmham, 20th May 2020

Cabbage Moth Mamestra brassicae - 4 caught here between 12th August and 3rd September 2019 but none here (or anywhere) in 2020.  4-6 a year here is normal though I had a blank year for them before, in 2017.  Elsewhere in 2019, 2 next door and one at Weybourne on 5th July.


Campion Sideridis rivularis - Singles trapped in the garden on 10th and 23rd August 2019 and 8th and 14th July 2020.  I didn't catch any here in 2014-2016 but have had 1-2 each year since.

Campion, North Elmham, 10th August 2019

Campion, North Elmham, 8th July 2020

Broad-barred White Hecatera bicolorata - One in the garden moth trap on 9th August 2020, the first I've seen since I caught one here in 2015.  They're quite lovely...

Broad-barred White, North Elmham, 9th August 2020

Small Ranunculus Hecatera dysodea - None.  I've never seen this species; it's a recent re-colonist in Norfolk but until the last year or two nearly all the records were from the Norwich area.  A few very recent records from other parts of Norfolk suggest that it might be spreading but so far there haven't been any round here.


Lychnis Hadena bicruris - An unexpected blank year here in 2019 followed by 6 between 21st May and 17th August 2020.  I had never had less than 4 in a year here before and I caught 27 here in 2015, so 2019's nil return came as a surprise.  However they were out locally - I caught one at the meadows and one next door.  Another at the meadows in 2020 and one at Carsaig (Mull) in June 2019.

Lychnis, Carsaig (Mull), 10th June 2019

Lychnis, North Elmham, 21st May 2020

Lychnis, North Elmham, 11th July 2020

Varied Coronet Hadena compta - None.  After 2 here in 2015 I hoped the species would prove regular here, but I haven't seen one here (or anywhere) since.


Marbled Coronet Hadena confusa - One in the garden on 29th June 2019.  This was my second record here following one in 2016.  This species is generally very scarce in Norfolk away from the north coast.

Marbled Coronet, North Elmham, 29th June 2019

Tawny Shears Hadena perplexa - None.  I've only ever seen one of these and never any locally.  They're much less common round here than they are along the north coast but not so rare that I might not catch one here someday.


Next page: more Noctuidae

A new bee on a rare flower

After a few quieter nights things picked up a bit on Saturday 8th June with 8 moths new for the year here: Hedge Case-bearer Coleophora striatipennella, 3 Large Fruit-tree Tortrixes Archips podana, Privet Tortrix Clepsis consimilana, Small Fan-footed Wave, Barred Straw, Grey Pug, Common Footman and Pale-shouldered Brocade.

Hedge Case-bearer Coleophora striatipennella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 8th June

Large Fruit-tree Tortrix Archips podana, North Elmham, 8th June

Privet Tortrix Clepsis consimilana, North Elmham, 8th June

Barred Straw, North Elmham, 8th June

Grey Pug (male, gen det), North Elmham, 8th June

Common Footman, North Elmham, 8th June

Pale-shouldered Brocade, North Elmham, 8th June

Other moths in the trap were Yellow-triangle Slender Caloptilia alchimiella, Brown House Moth Hofmannophila pseudospretella, Brindled Flat-body Agonopterix arenella, 2 London Dowds Blastobasis lacticolella, 2 Light Brown Apple Moths Epiphyas postvittana, Barred Marble Celypha striana, 5 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Plum Tortrix Hedya pruniana, Rush Marble Bactra lancealana, Triple-blotched Bell Notocelia trimaculana, Red Piercer Lathronympha strigana, Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteuchia culmella, Hook-streaked Grass-Veneer Crambus lathoniellus, Common Grey Scoparia ambigualis, 6 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, Bee Moth Aphomia sociella, False Cacao Moth Ephestia unicolorella, 2 Common Swifts, 3 Silver-ground Carpets, Common Marbled Carpet, Green Carpet, 3 Common Pugs, Brimstone Moth, 5 Willow Beauties, 2 Buff Ermines, Heart and Dart, Flame, 8 Ingrailed Clays, Bright-line Brown-eye, 6 Brown Rustics, Clouded-bordered Brindle, Marbled Minor, 2 Middle-barred Minors, Marbled White Spot, 16 Straw Dots, 4 Snouts and Small Fan-foot.

Also new for the year here was the brown lacewing Hemerobius humulinus.

Hemerobius humulinus, North Elmham, 8th June

I initially thought a reddish orange bug was going to be Phylus palliceps, a species I've trapped here before, but the black head makes it Phylus melanocephalus - a completely new species for me.

Phylus melanocephalus, North Elmham, 8th June

Also in the trap were the caddisfly Hydropsyche siltalai and the soldier beetle Cantharis rufa.

Cantharis rufa, North Elmham, 8th June

Next day I popped in to the patch where Norfolk's only Crested Cow-wheat was flowering.  I think this bee feeding on it was my first Vestal Cuckoo Bee Bombus vestalis but I'm not 100% sure I can rule out Gypsy Cuckoo Bee Bombus bohemicus (which would also be new for me).  Please let me know if you confirm either way.

Crested Cow-wheat, Rawhall Wood, 9th June

probable Vestal Cuckoo Bee Bombus vestalis on (and off) Crested Cow-wheat, Rawhall Wood, 9th June

Also 4 Swollen-thighed Beetles here along with Speckled Wood and Azure Damselfly.

Moths at Ryburgh included White-barred Gold Micropterix aruncella, 4 Common Nettle-taps Anthophila fabriciana, 2 Silver-ground Carpets, Yellow Shell and Sharp-angled Carpet.

White-barred Gold Micropterix aruncella, Ryburgh, 9th June

Butterflies included Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell and Large Skipper while dragonflies were represented by Banded Demoiselle, Blue-tailed Damselfly and Common Blue Damselfly.

Satyr surprise!

The night of Friday 22nd June was the best so far this year with over 300 moths of 92 species.  That's a good total, but not an especially remarkable total, for this time of year.  Several nice ones among them but I had no clue about the best one until over a week later.

I often keep back pugs if I'm not completely sure about their identify, even if I think they're probably Common Pugs.  That was the case with 2 pugs on this occasion, one proving as expected to be Common Pug but the other, a female, having gentitalia that I did not immediately recognise.  I still didn't recognise it after pawing through the diagrams in the Pugs book and resorted to checking each species one by one in the Dissection Group website.  Eventually I found it - it was a Satyr Pug!  This is a scarcely-recorded species and completely new to me, but there is no way I would have reached this conclusion without dissecting it.  I guess that's part of the reason they aren't recorded very often, though fresher examples are a little bit easier.

Satyr Pug (female, gen det), North Elmham, 22nd June

I'm not sure if the number of new moths for the year was testament to how good the night was or, probably more likely, how bad the year had been before, but a phenonemal 22 species were new for the year for the garden despite trapping every night.  Apart from the Satyr Pug, Purple Clay and Cream-bordered Green Pea were probably the best.

Cream-bordered Green Pea, North Elmham, 22nd June

Purple Clay, North Elmham, 22nd June

The others new for the year were Grey Rush Case-bearer Coleophora glaucicolella, Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix Pandemis cerasana, 2 Green Oak Tortrixes Tortrix viridana, Grass-veneer Crambus pascuella, Yellow Satin Veneer Crambus perlella, Pale Water-veneer Donacaula forficella, 3 Water Veneers Acentria ephemerella, 2 Meadow Greys Scoparia pyralella, Gold Triangle Hypsopygia costalis, Double-striped Tabby Hypsopygia glaucinalis, White Plume Pterophorus pentadactyla, Ghost Moth, Large Twin-spot Carpet, 2 Green Pugs, Bordered White, Uncertain, Beautiful Hook-tip, 2 Fan-foots and Small Fan-foot.

Ghost Moth, North Elmham, 22nd June

Gold Triangle Hypsopygia costalis, North Elmham, 22nd June

Double-striped Tabby Hypsopygia glaucinalis, North Elmham, 22nd June

Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix Pandemis cerasana, North Elmham, 22nd June

Green Pug, North Elmham, 22nd June

Bordered White, North Elmham, 22nd June

Large Twin-spot Carpet, North Elmham, 22nd June

Grass-veneer Crambus pascuella, North Elmham, 22nd June

Yellow Satin Veneer Crambus perlella, North Elmham, 22nd June

Pale Water-venner Donacaula forficella, North Elmham, 22nd June

White Plume Pterophorus pentadactyla, North Elmham, 22nd June

Grey Rush Case-bearer Coleophora glaucinalis (male, gen det), North Elmham, 22nd June

Water Venner Accentria ephemerella, North Elmham, 22nd June

Fan-Foot, North Elmham, 22nd June

Uncertain, North Elmham, 22nd June

Meadow Grey Scoparia pyralella, North Elmham, 22nd June

A staggering total of 48 Straw Dots was interesting and the other macros were 2 Blood-veins, 3 Small Dusty Waves, 11 Treble Brown Spots, 9 Riband Waves, 7 Silver-ground Carpets, Garden Carpet, Common Carpet, 2 Yellow Shells, 3 Sandy Carpets, 2 Foxglove Pugs, Mottled Pug, 3 Common Pugs, Clouded Border, 4 Scorched Wings, 3 Brimstone Moths, 2 Peppered Moths, 5 Willow Beauties, 2 Mottled Beauties, 2 Common White Waves, 13 Clouded Silvers, 2 Light Emeralds, Poplar Hawkmoth, 2 Elephant Hawkmoths, Pebble Prominent, Orange Footman, Common Footman, 5 White Ermines, 3 Buff Ermines, 4 Cinnabars, Least Black Arches, 3 Heart and Darts, Flame, Large Yellow Underwing, Ingrailed Clay, Pale-shouldered Brocade, 2 Common Wainscots, 2 Shoulder-striped Wainscots, Poplar Grey, 7 Brown Rustics, 2 Dark Arches, 7 Middle-barred Minors, 4 Treble Lines, 5 Mottled Rustics, 5 Burnished Brasses, Spectacle and 3 Snouts.

Yellow Shell, North Elmham, 22nd June

Pale-shouldered Brocade, North Elmham, 22nd June

Poplar Grey, North Elmham, 22nd June

Mottled Beauty, North Elmham, 22nd June

The remaining micros were 2 Cypress Tip Moths Argyresthia cupressella, 14 Diamond-back Moths Plutella xylostella, Small Clover Case-bearer Coleophora alcyonipennella, Common Rush Case-bearer Coleophora alticolella, 5 Buff Rush Case-bearers Coleophora caespititiella, 2 Little Dwarfs Elachista canapennella, Brindled Flat-body Agonopterix arenella, Black-headed Conch Cochylis atricapitana, 3 Large Fruit-tree Tortrixes Archips podana, 7 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, 3 Plum Tortrixes Hedya pruniana, Rush Marble Bactra lancealana, 2 Triple-blotched Bells Notocelia trimaculana, 2 Red Piercers Lathronympha strigana, 5 Hook-streaked Grass-Veneers Crambus lathoniellus, 14 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis, Marsh Grey Eudonia pallida, Little Grey Eudonia lacustrata, 2 Narrow-winged Greys Eudonia angustea, 4 Ringed China-marks Parapoynx stratiotata, 7 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, 4 False Cacao Moths Ephestia unicolorella and Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla.

Small Clover Case-bearer Coleophora alcyonipennella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 22nd June

False Cacao Moth Ephestia unicolorella, North Elmham, 22nd June

According to the books the rings on the antennae of Coleophora caespititiella fade out before the tip of the antennae.  Well they do normally but there is variatioon - some are ringed to the very tip although not normally as clearly so as on this one:

antenna tip of Buff Rush Case-bearer Coleophora caespititiella (female, gen det), North Elmham, 22nd June

One moth was so worn it didn't really show any fieldmarks.  It looked very pale sandy coloured but I wasn't sure if that was at all reflective of how it would have appeared when it had a full quota of scales.  It's square-ended wings and the way it held them made me think it was one of the larger Agonopterix species, so I took it in to find out which one.  It really was on its last legs and by the time I photographed it it didn't seem able to rest properly with its wings down, hence the awkward posture in the photo.  Anyway, the genitalia revealed that it wasn't an Agonopterix species at all, nor anything else in that family.  I tried using the Kleine Vlinders key to find what family it belongs to but that was hard given the sad state it was in.  It keyed out as a Tortrix but several features were hard to judge and I'm not convinced it was a Tortrix.  The Pyralids (which I think includes Crambids in that key) were close, and I think the genitalia are broadly close to a number of the Pyralids, so I suspect that's the family.  But having been through numerous genitalia images of Pyralids and every other family I could possibly conceive it belonging to, I can't find anything that really matches this thing.  No doubt I've overlooked something obvious, but here is the moth, the genitalia and aedeagus in case any reader recognises it... let me know if you do please!

unidentified moth, North Elmham, 22nd June

Mayflies were represented by a Green Drake Ephemera danica, a new species for the garden.  The Leafhopper Oncopsis subangulata was the second I've seen this year.

Oncopsis subangulata, North Elmham, 22nd June

Caddisflies included Polycentropus flavomaculatus, 2 Hydropsyche pellucidula, Limnephilus flavicornis, Limnephilus marmoratus and 2 Mystacides longicornis.  Also what I think must be Athripsodes aterrimus but the genitalia didn't look quite right.

probable Athripsodes aterrimus, North Elmham, 22nd June