Review of 2019 and 2020 - Moths: Pyralids (Pyralidae) - part 2: Acrobasis to Ephestia (Knot-horns II)

PYRALIDS (PYRALIDAE) (continued)


Warted Knot-horn Acrobasis repandana - None.  I'm yet to catch this species at home but I've found it at Bintree Wood so it's not far away.


Grey Knot-horn Acrobasis advenella - At least 17 here between 16th July and 17th August 2019 which, although I didn't count them on a couple of nights, was almost certainly my poorest year for the species since I came to North Elmham - I've averaged over 30 and have never recorded it on so few nights (14 nights in 2019).  In contrast my best year in 2020 with 46 over 20 nights between 12th July and 24th August.  Also recorded next door, at the meadows and at Bintree Wood.

Grey Knot-horn Acrobasis advenella, North Elmham, 16th July 2019

Grey Knot-horn Acrobasis advenella, Bintree Wood, 24th July 2020

Thicket Knot-horn Acrobasis suavella - Singles caught in my garden on 9th and 11th July 2019 and then on 6 dates between 14th July and 16th August 2020.  I hadn't trapped this species here (or anywhere) until 2017 but then caught 4 here in 2018.  Not sure if it's increasing everywhere or just here, or if it's coming out of a trough or if I'd just been unlucky with it until recently.  Also one at the meadows on 7th July 2019, the first I've caught elsewhere, and a whopping 25 at Brancaster on 2nd July 2020.

female Thicket Knot-horn Acrobasis suavella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 7th July 2019

male Thicket Knot-horn Acrobasis suavella, North Elmham, 9th July 2019

male Thicket Knot-horn Acrobasis suavella, North Elmham, 11th July 2019

male Thicket Knot-horn Acrobasis suavella, North Elmham, 18th July 2020

Marbled Knot-horn Acrobasis marmorea - None.  I've never found this species anywhere but although it's scarce there is a good scattering of records so I wouldn't be surprised to find it locally.


Broad-barred Knot-horn Acrobasis consociella - Caught in the garden on 25th July and 3rd August 2019 and 1st and 11th July 2020.  I've had 1-2 here every full year I've been here.  Also one at the meadows on 18th July 2020 and one at Bintree Wood on 24th July.

Broad-barred Knot-horn Acrobasis consociella, North Elmham, 25th July 2019

Broad-barred Knot-horn Acrobasis consociella, North Elmham, 1st July 2020

Broad-barred Knot-horn Acrobasis consociella, North Elmham, 11th July 2020

Broad-barred Knot-horn Acrobasis consociella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 18th July 2020

Thistle Ermine Myelois circumvoluta - 2 at Weybourne on 5th July 2019.  None in 2020.  I've caught this species at home twice (2016 and 2017).


Dark Spruce Knot-horn Assara terebrella - None.  This used to be a rare moth but the number and spread of recent records suggests it won't be long before I find my first.


Ash-bark Knot-horn Euzophera pinguis - 3 in the garden between 25th and 28th July 2019, my worst year here - I average more than double this.  2020 more than made up for it with more than double my previous best total - 21 between 11th July and 17th August, including 4 on 12th August.  Elsewhere 5 at the meadows and singles at Swanton Great Wood and Bintree Wood.

Ash-bark Knot-horn Euzophera pinguis, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 18th July 2020

Saltmarsh Knot-horn Ancylosis oblitella - A new moth for me when I caught one at the meadows on 7th August 2020.  This species seems to have colonised the county in around 2018 although there are still very few records away from the southern half of the county and the east.

Saltmarsh Knot-horn Ancylosis oblitella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 7th August 2020

Two-barred Knot-horn Homoeosoma sinuella - A record 16 in my garden between 23rd June and 23rd July 2019.  Peak count was 5 on 24th June, which is more than I'd ever had in a whole year before.  2020 was also a better year than usual with singles on 5 dates between 20th May and 20th June.  Elsewhere, 11 at the meadows, 4 at Bintree Wood, 4 at Weybourne and 2 at Brancaster.

Two-barred Knot-horn Homoeosoma sinuella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 21st June 2019

Large Clouded Knot-horn Homoeosoma nebullela - None.  This species seems to be fairly widespread in Norfolk but it continues to elude me.


Chalk Knot-horn Phycitodes maritima - None.  Although I'd only had one in 2018 I'd recorded 16 here over the previous 3 years so 2 years without any was unexpected.


Ermine Knot-horn Phycitodes binaevella - 10 in the garden between 24th June and 25th August 2019, my equal-best year for this species here, and 4 between 17th June and 6th August 2020.  Also 2 at the meadows and singles at Bintree Wood and Brancaster.  Although it looked like this species, the Brancaster one was smaller than the given range for this species so was dissected just in case.

Ermine Knot-horn Phycitodes binaevella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 30th June 2019

Ermine Knot-horn Phycitodes binaevella, North Elmham, 16th July 2019

male Ermine Knot-horn Phycitodes binaevella, Brancaster, 2nd July 2020

Pine-blossom Knot-horn Vitula biviella - None.  I've never seen this species but it seems to have recently colonised Norfolk.  Although there aren't many records away from Holme and Methwold there are a handful elsewhere including one at Ryburgh, so it might not be long before it turns up here.


Indian Meal Moth Plodia interpunctella - None.  I've only ever seen this species at my in-laws in Kent but it's pretty widespread in Norfolk so might turn up.  Not sure how often they come to light at sites where there isn't an indoors infestation though?


Cacao Moth Ephestia elutella - None.  I've caught this species here once, in 2017.


False Cacao Moth Ephestia woodiella - Totals of 20 at home between 24th May and 11th July 2019 and 9 between 21st May and 2nd July 2020.  I am averaging 13-14 a year here but annual totals have varied from zero (2015) to 32 (2016).

male False Cacao Moth Ephestia woodiella, North Elmham, 24th May 2019

female False Cacao Moth Ephestia woodiella, North Elmham, 23rd June 2019

female False Cacao Moth Ephestia woodiella, North Elmham, 24th June 2019

female False Cacao Moth Ephestia woodiella, North Elmham, 28th June 2019

male False Cacao Moth Ephestia woodiella, North Elmham, 7th July 2019

male False Cacao Moth Ephestia woodiella, North Elmham, 11th July 2019

female False Cacao Moth Ephestia woodiella, North Elmham, 30th June 2020

Next page: more Pyralidae

The Italians are back

July kicked off with finding an Italian Tubic Metalampra italica (and a Dark Neb Bryotropha affinis) inside the house on 1st.  Then overnight there was a second Metalampra italica in the trap.  I'd had the second and third records for Norfolk in 2014 but although there have been quite a few more records elsewhere in the intervening years these were my first since then.

Italian Tubics Metalampra italica, North Elmham, 1st July

Other moths that were new for the year that night were White-speckled Clothes Moth Nemapogon koenigi, Orchard, Apple or Spindle Ermine agg. Yponomeuta padella/malinellus/cagnagella, Small Dingy Tubic Borkhausenia fuscescens, Long-horned Flat-body Carcina quercana, Bud Moth Spilonota ocellana, Ermine Knot-horn Phycitodes binaevella, Brown Plume Stenoptilia pterodactyla, Yellow-tail, Round-winged Muslin, Brown-line Bright Eye and Rufous Minor.

Long-horned Flat-body Carcina quercana, North Elmham, 1st July

Bud Moth Spilonota ocellana, North Elmham, 1st July

Ermine Knot-horn Phycitodes binaevella, North Elmham, 1st July

Brown Plume Stenoptilia pterodactyla, North Elmham, 1st July

Round-winged Muslin, North Elmham, 1st July

Rufous Minor (female, gen det), North Elmham, 1st July

Other highlights included Drab Clothes Moth Haplotinea insectella, Gold-sheen Clothes Moth Nemapogon ruricolella and Rose Tortrix Archips rosana.

Other moths were Diamond-back Plutella xylostella, 3 Large Fruit-tree Tortrixes Archips podana, Light Brown Apple-moth Epiphyas postvittana, 5 Large Ivy Tortrixes Lozotaenia forsterana, Red-barred Tortrix Ditula angustiorana, 3 Grey Tortrixes Cnephasia stephensiana, Flax Tortrix Cnephasia asseclana, Green Oak Tortrix Tortrix viridana, 4 Barred Marbles Celypha striana, 9 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Marbled Orchard Tortrix Hedya nubiferana, 3 Triangle-marked Rollers Ancylis achatana, Bramble Shoot Notocelia uddmanniana, 2 Hoary Bells Eucosma cana, 4 Many-plume Moths Alucita hexadactyla, 22 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, 6 Inlaid Grass-veneers Crambus pascuella, 2 Satin Grass-veneers Crambus perlella, Common Grey Scoparia ambigualis, 2 Little Greys Eudonia lacustrata, Small Grey Eudonia mercurella, 3 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, Elder Pearl Anania coronata, Mother of Pearl Pleuroptya ruralis, Rosy Tabby Endotricha flammealis, Beautiful Plume Amblyptilia acanthadactyla, White Plume Pterophorus pentadactyla, 2 Common Plumes Emmelina monodactyla, Ghost Moth, Common Emerald, 7 Small Fan-footed Waves, 3 Dwarf Cream Waves, 7 Single-dotted Waves, 3 Treble Brown Spots, 5 Riband Waves, Garden Carpet, Common Carpet, 3 Barred Straws, Sandy Carpet, 2 Common Pugs, V-Pug, 3 Green Pugs, Double-striped Pug, Early Thorn, 3 Swallow-tailed Moths, Willow Beauty, 2 Mottled Beauties, 3 Engraileds, 3 Clouded Silvers, 2 Buff-tips, 2 Rosy Footmen, Dingy Footman, 28 Common Footmen, 14 Buff Ermines, 4 Heart and Clubs, Flame Shoulder, 2 Double Square-spots, Dot Moth, Lychnis, 2 Common Wainscots, 4 Brown Rustics, 2 Dark Arches, 14 Uncertains, 2 Rustics, 6 Mottled Rustics, Beautiful Hook-tip and 5 Fan-foots.

Sandy Carpet, North Elmham, 1st July

Among the other insects a Common Sun Beetle Amara aenea was the first I've ever identified.

Common Sun Beetle Amara aenea, North Elmham, 1st July

Quite a few other things were new for the year including the green lacewing Cunctochrysa albolineata, the caddisfly Hydropsyche siltalai, the sexton beetle Nicrophorus investigator and the soldier beetle Rhagonycha fulva.

Cunctochrysa albolineata, North Elmham, 1st July

Other inescts included the brown lacewing Hemerobius humulinus, the caddisflies Ecnomus tenellus and Leptocerus tineiformis, the soldier beetle Cantharis cryptica, Orange Ladybird and 2 Lagria hirta.

Orange-tailed Clearwing and Hornet Moth in the garden

On the morning of Sunday 18th June I put the Hornet Moth lure out in the garden.  I think Hornet Moth is the only Clearwing species that has been recorded in my 10k square prior to this year and it's also the only Clearwing I'd seen before this year, but the nearest poplars are a fair way off so I was by no means expectant that the lure would be productive in my garden.  I checked the trap before going out at around 10ish more in hope than expectation but was pleased to find it already contained a Hornet Moth!

Hornet Moth, North Elmham, 18th June

With that success I switched the lure over to the Yellow-legged Clearwing lure - one of the commonest species I'd not yet encountered - and went out.

In the afternoon I was in Norwich and had a look round Thorpe Marshes - my first visit to this excellent newish reserve.  I only gave it a quick circuit as my wife was waiting for me in a hot car and I realised before I started that my real target (the Mallard x Pintail hybrid) wasn't actually at this site but down the road a little.  I will return here - the site looked great - but in my brief visit the highlight was seeing at least 10 Norfolk Hawkers.

Norfolk Hawker, Thorpe Marshes, 18th June

I returned home and made the mistake of not checking the pheromone lure trap straight away.  The first time I used the Yellow-legged Clearwing lure I'd opened the canister which you're not supposed to do and since then I'd had absolutely no success with it despite trying it in some really good habitat.  I thought I'd probably spoilt it and it wouldn't work, so I wasn't really expecting anything in the trap.  But I was wrong - I hadn't spoilt it - it works perfectly fine, I now know.

I learnt an unfortunate lesson today, which is not to leave the trap in direct sunlight on a hot day without checking it regularly.  When I did eventually check it, the clearwing in the trap was deceased.  This was especially sad because it wasn't the Yellow-legged Clearwing I was expecting but the other much rarer species that also comes to the same lure... Orange-tailed Clearwing!  Prior to this year there had been just two records of Orange-tailed Clearwing in Norfolk, both from the Brecks.  Mick Kerr had had one a few days earlier at Sporle near Swaffham, so a bit closer but still pretty much the Brecks.  Getting one here in North Elmham was a real surprise.

dead Orange-tailed Clearwing, North Elmham, 18th June

It's turned out to be a good year for the species (or maybe it's just that lots of people are trying the lures now?) - there have been another two records in the Brecks and one in the Fens.  I wonder how widespread they really are?  I'm not far from the VC27 border - the first for VC27 must be on the cards.

That night there were quite a few moths new for the year here: Eastern Case-bearer Coleophora vestianella, Brown-barred Tortrix Epagoge grotiana, Mottled Marble Bactra furfurana, 3 Common Cloaked Shoots Gypsonoma dealbana, White-foot Bell Epiblema foenella, Marbled Bell Eucosma campoliliana (only my second ever following one here around this time last year), Two-coloured Bell Eucosma obumbratana, Grass-veneer Crambus pascuella, Mother of Pearl Pleuroptya ruralis, 2 Brown Powdered Knot-horns Delplanqueia inscriptella, Ermine Knot-horn Phycitodes binaevella, 2 Foxglove Pugs, 2 V-Pugs, Scorched Carpet, 2 Engraileds and Privet Hawk-moth.

Eastern Case-bearer Coleophora vestianella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 18th June

Brown-barred Tortrix Epagoge grotiana, North Elmham, 18th June

Mottled Marble Bactra furfurana (male, gen det), North Elmham, 18th June

Common Cloaked Shoot Gypsonoma dealbana, North Elmham, 18th June

White-foot Bell Epiblema foenella, North Elmham, 18th June

Marbled Bell Eucosma campoliliana, North Elmham, 18th June

Two-coloured Bell Eucosma obumbratana, North Elmham, 18th June

Grass-veneer Crambus pascuella, North Elmham, 18th June

Brown Powdered Knot-horns Delplanqueia inscriptella (males, gen det), North Elmham, 18th June

Ermine Knot-horn Phycitodes binaevella, North Elmham, 18th June

Foxglove Pug, North Elmham, 18th June

Other moths were Cork Moth Nemapogon cloacella, 2 Bird-cherry Ermines Yponomeuta evonymella, Tipped Oak Case-bearer Coleophora flavipennella, Clover Case-bearer Coleophora alcyonipennella, 2 Meadow Case-bearers Coleophora mayrella, 3 Brown House Moths Hofmannophila pseudospretella, 14 Hook-marked Straw Moths Agapeta hamana, 14 Large Fruit-tree Tortrixes Archips podana, 7 Privet Tortrixes Clepsis consimilana, 2 Large Ivy Tortrixes Lozotaenia forsterana, Yellow-spot Tortrix Pseudargyrotoza conwagana, Hedge Shade Isotrias rectifasciana, 2 Light Grey Tortrixes Cnephasia incertana, 2 Barred Marbles Celypha striana, 12 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Plum Tortrix Hedya pruniana, Marbled Orchard Tortrix Hedya nubiferana, 2 Rush Marbles Bactra lancealana, Bramble Shoot Moth Notocelia uddmanniana, 4 Triple-blotched Bells Notocelia trimaculana, 2 Hoary Bells Eucosma cana, Codling Moth Cydia pomonella, 18 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, 7 Hook-streaked Grass-Veneers Crambus lathoniellus, Yellow Satin Veneer Crambus perlella, 4 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis, 3 Marsh Greys Eudonia pallida, 5 Little Greys Eudonia lacustrata, 5 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, Elder Pearl Anania coronata, Fenland Pearl Anania perlucidalis, 2 Bee Moths Aphomia sociella, Twin-barred Knot-horn Homoeosoma sinuella, Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla, Ghost Moth, Small Fan-footed Wave, Small Dusty Wave, 4 Single-dotted Waves, 2 Treble Brown Spots, 8 Riband Waves, Large Twin-spot Carpet, Silver-ground Carpet, Common Carpet, 5 Barred Straws, Sharp-angled Carpet, Sandy Carpet, Currant Pug, Green Pug, Small Yellow Wave, Clouded Border, Brimstone Moth, 2 Lilac Beauties, 2 Swallow-tailed Moths, 3 Willow Beauties, Common Wave, 3 Clouded Silvers, 5 Rosy Footmen, 4 Common Footmen, White Ermine, 6 Buff Ermines, 2 Cinnabars, Short-cloaked Moth, Heart and Dart, Ingrailed Clay, 3 Double Square-spots, Bright-line Brown-eye, 2 Smoky Wainscots, 2 Common Wainscots, 3 Brown Rustics, Dark Arches, Small Clouded Brindle, Marbled Minor, 6 Middle-barred Minors, 5 Uncertains, 5 Mottled Rustics, 2 Marbled White Spots, 2 Burnished Brasses, 4 Beautiful Hook-tips, 23 Straw Dots, 3 Fan-foots and 2 Small Fan-foots.

Ghost Moth, North Elmham, 18th June

I often see frogs around the moth trap at this time of year - there were 3 Common Frogs on this occasion.  I've never seen one eat a moth but I suspect that's why they're there.  One thing I did see eating a moth, a Common Marble Celypha lacunana, was one of 2 Fly Bugs Reduvius personatus.

Fly Bug Reduvius personatus eating Common Marble Celypha lacunana, North Elmham, 18th June

Other bugs consisted of a mating pair of Birch Shieldbugs.  Other insects in the trap included 2 Green Drakes Ephemera danica (mayflies) and a new beetle for me, Strawberry Seed Beetle Harpalus rufipes - at least I'm pretty sure that's what it was: it was a bit on the small side and there were slightly more setae on the head than the key implies there should be for this genus, but everything else checked out perfectly and it's supposed to be relatively distinctive with its golden-haired elytra.  Hopefully I'll manage a better photo when I see another one...

Strawberry Seed Beetle

Among the caddisflies 2 Polycentropus flavomaculatus and Oecetis lacustris were new for the year. There were also 2 Hydropsyche siltalai, 3 Hydropsyche pellucidula and Limnephilus lunatus.

Polycentropus flavomaculatus, North Elmham, 18th June