Review of 2019 and 2020 - Moths: Slenders and Midgets (Gracillariidae) (part 3: Parornix)

SLENDERS and MIDGETS (GRACILLARIIDAE) (continued)

With the genus Parornix you can sometimes make a pretty good educated guess as to which species is involved but unfortunately they require dissection to prove the ID.  This can be quite rewarding as you can find a good range of species occurring in the same locality.

This isn't going to be a colourful page though...



Brown Birch Slender Parornix betulae - Just one at home in 2019, on 25th July.  Having averaged 4.5 a year that was quite a poor showing but I made up for it in 2020 with a record 9 between 18th July and 7th September.  Elsewhere recorded in 2019 at Sculthorpe Moor (26th April) and Swanton Great Wood (27th August).

male Brown Birch Slender Parornix betulae, Sculthorpe Moor, 26th April 2019

male Brown Birch Slender Parornix betulae, North Elmham, 25th July 2019

female Brown Birch Slender Parornix betulae, North Elmham, 18th July 2020

female Brown Birch Slender Parornix betulae, North Elmham, 23rd July 2020

male Brown Birch Slender Parornix betulae, North Elmham, 19th August 2020

female Brown Birch Slender Parornix betulae, North Elmham, 20th August 2020

Beech Slender Parornix fagivora - One found inside the house on 23rd July 2019.  This was a completely new species for me which makes it all the more remarkable that I caught 4 in 2020, on 17th May, 27th July and 5th and 6th August.  My 7th Parornix species here - just the Hornbeam species left now I think (carpinella), but that one's going to be tricky with just one Norfolk record so far.

female Beech Slender Parornix fagivora, North Elmham, 23rd July 2019

female Beech Slender Parornix fagivora, North Elmham, 5th August 2020

male Beech Slender Parornix fagivora, North Elmham, 6th August 2020

Hawthorn Slender Parornix anglicella - 10 here between 22nd April and 31st August 2019, making it my joint best year for them here (level with 2018), but the record was broken in 2020 with 19 between 11th April and 19th August.  Also 5 at the meadows (1 in 2019, 4 in 2020) and singles at Sculthorpe Moor and Weybourne in 2019.

male Hawthorn Slender Parornix anglicella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 12th May 2019

male Hawthorn Slender Parornix anglicella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 8th June 2020

male Hawthorn Slender Parornix anglicella, North Elmham, 9th August 2020

male Hawthorn Slender Parornix anglicella, North Elmham, 17th August 2020

Hazel Slender Parornix devoniella - 4 caught at home between 24th April and 16th July 2019, half the number recorded in 2018.  An unprecedented total of 23 caught here between 18th May and 15th August 2020.  None anywhere else.

male Hazel Slender Parornix devoniella, North Elmham, 24th April 2019

female Hazel Slender Parornix devoniella, North Elmham, 20th May 2020

female Hazel Slender Parornix devoniella, North Elmham, 1st July 2020

female Hazel Slender Parornix devoniella, North Elmham, 26th July 2020

female Hazel Slender Parornix devoniella, North Elmham, 1st August 2020

female Hazel Slender Parornix devoniella, North Elmham, 10th August 2020

Rowan Slender Parornix scoticella - Singles caught in my garden moth trap on 30th July and 7th August 2020.  Previously I'd only caught this species here twice, in 2014 and 2018.

male Rowan Slender Parornix scoticella, North Elmham, 30th July 2020

male Rowan Slender Parornix scoticella, North Elmham, 7th August 2020

Pointed Slender Parornix finitimella - None.  I've caught 5 of these here in the previous 3 years (3 in 2018).


Blackthorn Slender Parornix torquillella - One at the meadows on 25th May 2019 then 4 in the garden moth trap up to 27th August.  I had caught 14 here in 2018 but apart from that 2019's showing was fairly typical.  But 2020 saw a new record with 18 between 22nd May and 19th August.

A leaf-fold on Blackthorn at the meadows on 14th October could in theory have been this species or finitimella so I examined the larva to see if its legs had black rings or if they were concolorous with the body.  Well they certainly didn't have black rings (which finitimella should have) though I would argue that they weren't quite concolourous with the body having vaguely greyish rings.  I decided to rear it through but what emerged on 2nd November was a parasitic wasp (which, with the help of Gavin Broad, was a Diadegma sp., probably Diadegma crataegi).

male Blackthorn Slender Parornix torquillella, North Elmham, 9th August 2019

larva of Blackthorn Slender Parornix torquillella, North Elmham, 14th October 2019

male Blackthorn Slender Parornix torquillella, North Elmham, 22nd May 2020

female Blackthorn Slender Parornix torquillella, North Elmham, 8th August 2020

male Blackthorn Slender Parornix torquillella, North Elmham, 9th August 2020

female Blackthorn Slender Parornix torquillella, North Elmham, 10th August 2020

Next page: more Gracillariidae (Phyllonorycters)

Semioscopis steinkellneriana new for the garden

There were relatively few moths on the night of 20th April, though Purple Thorn was new for the year.  I also trapped Frosted Green, 2 Streamers, 5 Early Thorns, Brindled Beauty, Common Quaker, 2 Clouded Drabs, 4 Hebrew Characters and a Black Sexton Beetle.

Purple Thorn, North Elmham, 20th April

The following night was much better with 6 new moths for the year.  Among them were 2 Dawn Flat-bodies Semioscopis steinkellneriana, a new species for the garden, bringing my garden list up to 790.  With four additions this week, hitting 800 must be on the cards for this year.

Dawn Flat-body Semioscopis steinkellneriana, North Elmham, 21st April

The others new for the year were Hazel Slender Parornix devoniella, Brindled Flat-body Agonopterix arenella, Common Birch Bell Epinotia immundana, Bee Moth Aphomia sociella and Great Prominent. The last was only my third here - I didn't get one last year.

 Hazel Slender Parornix devoniella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 21st April

Brindled Flat-body Agonopterix arenella, North Elmham, 21st April

Common Birch Bell Epinotia immundana, North Elmham, 21st April

Bee Moth Aphomia sociella, North Elmham, 21st April

Great Prominent, North Elmham, 21st April

Other moths that night were March Tubic Diurnea fagella, Common Flat-body Agonopterix heracliana, Many-plumed Moth Alucita hexadactyla, Frosted Green, Streamer, 5 Brindled Pugs, 2 Double-striped Pugs, 4 Early Thorns, 5 Brindled Beauties, Common Quaker, 2 Clouded Drabs, 7 Hebrew Characters and Nut-tree Tussock.

Other insects included Chrysoperla carnea, Black Sexton Beetle and a new hoverfly for the year, Platycheirus albimanus.  The beetle seemed to be eating a dead Brindled Beauty on the ground next to the trap.

Platycheirus albimanus, North Elmham, 21st April

Next day I found a Sandpit Mining Bee Andrena barbilabris trying to get out of my dining room - a species I'd not identified previously.

Sandpit Mining Bee Andrena barbilabris, North Elmham, 22nd April

The Large Red-belted and Red-belted Clearwing lures failed to attract any clearwings (it is a bit early and neither are known to occur anywhere near here, so not very surprising really).  But the Red-belted did attract an as-yet unidentified beetle and a Stenodema laevigata, a new bug for the garden.

Stenodema laevigata, North Elmham, 22nd April

An evening visit to the Cathedral Meadows produced this Common Frog.

 Common Frog, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 22nd April

This snail keyed out as Hairy Snail Trochulus hispidus despite having virtually no trace of any hairs, and I initially had it down as such.  After looking at some more snails I think this was erroneous and it was in fact a (small) Strawberry Snail Trochulus striolatus.

Strawberry Snail Trochulus striolatus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 22nd April

That night 2 Waved Umbers and a Muslin Moth (and a Common Earwig) were new for the year.  Other moths were Common Flat-body Agonopterix heracliana, Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla, 3 Water Carpets, Early Thorn, 3 Brindled Beauties, Common Quaker, Clouded Drab, 6 Hebrew Characters, Early Grey and 2 Nut-tree Tussocks. The record of 3 Water Carpets is remarkable here - although common elsewhere I only had one here in 2015, none in 2016 and two in 2017 - I've now had 5 here this year.

Waved Umber, North Elmham, 22nd April

Muslin Moth, North Elmham, 22nd April

Common Earwig, North Elmham, 22nd April

On the ground by the trap was my first Black Clock Beetle Pterostichus madidus for the year.

Black Clock Beetle Pterostichus madidus, North Elmham, 22nd April

Heliozela sericella

My first Cinnabar of the year was at Burnham Overy on Thursday, closely followed by one at home that night.

Cinnabar, Burnham Overy, 20th April

There were also some Brown-tail caterpillars though I didn't notice if the sea buckthorn clump was infested with them like it is most years - I think I would have noticed if there had been as many as there often are.

Brown-tail larvae, Burnham Overy, 20th April

I caught a Hazel Slender Parornix devoniella in the garden on Friday afternoon, my first this year, and another new moth for the year was on the trap when I went out to look in the evening, Oak-tree Pug.  Other moths that night were Shoulder Stripe, Brindled Pug, 2 Brindled Beauties, Cinnabar and 9 Hebrew Characters. Also another Ophion obscuratus.

Hazel Slender (female, gen det), North Elmham, 21st April

Oak-tree Pug (male, gen det), North Elmham, 21st April

I had a good morning's birding in the Broads on Saturday which included my first Large White butterfly of the year and Green Tiger Beetles, along with what I think was my first Early Wintercress (aka Middle-flowered Wintercress).  After this I headed back to my local patches pausing for a bit at Honeypot Wood on the way.  There was a sunny sheltered edge that was heaving with insect-life.  There were tonnes of hoverflies, the majority of which I'm afraid I ignored (there's a limit to how many different insects I can take home to identify!), although I did manage to identify Leucozona lucorum from a photo.  I also ignored the bees and most of the flies, though among the latter were lots (easily 20) of Dark-edged Bee-flies.   Butterflies included Orange-tips, Peacock, Red Admiral and Speckled Wood.

It was along here that I found numerous tiny moths flying around which I did not recognise.  They recalled Feathered Bright Incurvaria masculella in their pattern, but in case there was any doubt that these were much smaller I accidentally netted a male Incurvaria maculella while I was trying to catch one of the smaller moths - it dwarfed them.  They were also consistently paler grey and I new they had to be something different.  A quick text to Dave came back with the suggestion of Heliozela, a genus in an entire family that has somehow escaped my attention thus far despite not being especially unusual (though the majority of records are mines not adults).  He was bang on the money: they proved to be Oak Satin Lifts Heliozela sericiella - at least 20 of them.  Their restless habits and shiny scales made them a nightmare to photograph - here are my best efforts.

Oak Satin Lifts Heliozela sericella (males, gen det), Honeypot Wood, 22nd April

I thought this Phyllonorycter might be kleemanella as the third dorsal and costal strigilae didn't meet but its genitalia rule that out - thus it must be another Red Hazel midget Phyllonorycter nicellii.

Red Hazel Midget Phyllonorycter nicellii (male, gen det), Honeypot Wood, 22nd April

Other moths there included Plain Gold Micropterix calthella, Large Long-horn Nematopogon swammerdamella and Common Nettle-tap Anthophila fabriciana.

Some beetles on Dandelions eventually proved to be Byturus ochraceus, a species I had not identified before although the resources I used to identify them allowed me to confirm an individual I had previously photographed and left at Byturus sp.

Byturus ochraceus, Honeypot Wood, 22nd April

Another beetle was a lifer, the weevil Barynotus moerens.  There were also two Pollen Beetles Meligethes sp. but I was unable to get a positive ID to species level on these two (they were most likely aeneus but I wasn't convinced they were both the same species).

Barynotus moerens, Honeypot Wood, 22nd April

I did retain one fly that I thought might be distinctive enough to identify with my limited resources, but alas it is not so, at least not with confidence.  At first I thought it was going to be one of the Chlorops species but in the end I think it was probably the Yellow Swarming Fly Thaumatomyia notata.  Any correction/confirmation would be welcome.

possible Thaumatomyia notata, Honeypot Wood, 22nd April

Now joined by Dave we headed to the patch where one site produced Hawthorn Slender Parornix anglicella, 2 White-bodied Midgets Phyllonorycter joannisi, 100 Horse Chestnut Leaf-miners Cameraria ohridella and Least Black Arches.  I recorded joannisi on Norway Maple trunks here in the excellent Phyllonorycter year of 2014 but hadn't been able to find them since so good to know this attractive and relatively scarce species is still around.  Although the large numbers of Horse Chestnut Leaf-miners were not themselves of much interest, perhaps the ease with which they were found on tree trunks may indicate it will be another reasonably good year for finding leaf-miner adults?  Let's hope so...

White-bodied Midget Phyllonorycter joannisi, Bittering, 22nd April

We found quite a few Whiteflies (Aleyrodidae) here too, though I have no idea how to identify them to species level.

Not much variety in the moth trap that night - 2 Muslin Moths and 19 Hebrew Characters.  Also another Ophion obscuratus (ichneumon wasp).

Next day I found a Small Purple and Gold (aka Mint Moth) Pyrausta aurata on the patio doors, my first this year.

Small Purple and Gold Pyrausta aurata, North Elmham, 23rd April

There were more moths in the trap that night than I expected given the cool temperatures: 3 Brindled Beauties, Lesser Swallow Prominent, 2 Muslin Moths, 12 Hebrew Characters and another Mullein. The Prominent was new for the year.

Lesser Swallow Prominent, North Elmham, 23rd April

With Arctic conditions now pushing firmly into the county I wasn't surprised to find just 1 Muslin Moth and 5 Hebrew Characters (and 2 Common Earwigs) in the trap last night.

I found this Tawny Mining Bee in the garden today - technically a new species for me though I'm sure I've seen them in the past before I was keeping records of such things.

Tawny Mining Bee Andrena fulva, North Elmham, 25th April