Review of 2019 and 2020 - Moths: Slenders and Midgets (Gracillariidae) (part 4: Phyllonorycter I)

SLENDERS and MIDGETS (GRACILLARIIDAE) (continued)

Despite their striking appearance some Phyllonorycter provide a real identification challenge and in a few cases even checking their genitalia doesn't always lead to a firm answer.  Personally I think they're well worth the effort - being able to put a name to these beautiful little creatures is always enormously satisfying.  2020 was a good year for these, as it was for many other members of this family.


White Oak Midget Phyllonorycter harrisella - One in the garden trap on 12th September 2019 and 18 here between 20th May and 15th August 2020.  This species occurs here quite sporadically, with 6 in 2016, 2 in 2017 but none in 2015 or 2018 - clearly the 2020 total was exceptional (and included a peak count of 4 on 31st July).  Elsewhere 1 at the meadows on 29th April 2019 and one in the adjacent Millenium Wood on 6th May, with a total of 26 found at the meadows between 19th April and 14th August 2020.

White Oak Midget Phyllonorycter harrisella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 29th April 2019

White Oak Midget Phyllonorycter harrisella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 19th April 2020

White Oak Midget Phyllonorycter harrisella, North Elmham, 30th July 2020

Pale Oak Midget Phyllonorycter heegeriella - None.  I've not encountered this species for a few years but it must be a reasonable possibility here in North Elmham (although failing to find any in the good Phyllonorycter year of 2020 isn't a good sign - the last time I saw them was in the similarly good Phyllonorycter year of 2014).  Fresh heegeriella should be easy enough to separate from fresh harrisella, but worn individuals need more care.  Note that the shadow of the antenna (or even the antenna itself) can appear like a dark streak through the forewing base on harrisella so suggesting heegeriella, and (as shown in the last photo above) wear can also create an appearance suggestive of a dark streak.  Although heegeriella tends to have more orange near the apex both species seem to vary in this respect.  Some of the other average differences (like the curvature of the second dorsal strigula) seem variable and the number and form of costal strigulae isn't clear on worn specimens.


Hornbeam Midget Phyllonorycter tenerella - None.  I've never seen this species but now that I've found some Hornbeam at the meadows I shall be looking harder for it.


Scarce Oak Midget Phyllonorycter kuhlweiniella - Singles caught in the garden moth trap on 4 nights between 5th and 15th August 2020 - I've recorded this species at home on just one previous occasion (in 2016).  One at the meadows on 31st May 2019 and 8 found there between 25th April and 23rd June 2020.  Interestingly this species, and to some extent harrisella and several other species too, seem to be more easily found during the day-time in the early part of their flight period and more easily found coming to light towards the end of their flight period (different generation?).

female Scarce Oak Midget Phyllonorycter kuhlweiniella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 31st May 2019

Scarce Oak Midget Phyllonorycter kuhlweiniella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th April 2020

Common Oak Midget Phyllonorycter quercifoliella - Just one in the garden moth trap, on 15th September 2020.  This species only occurs sporadically at home (one in 2014 and 3 in 2017).  It's easier to find at the meadows where singles on 6th and 22nd May 2019 and 12 between 5th April and 12th September 2020.  Also one at Swanton Great Wood on in August 2019.  I also found a few mines at the meadows in September 2019.

Common Oak Midget Phyllonorycter quercifoliella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 6th May 2019

leaf-mine of Common Oak Midget Phyllonorycter quercifoliella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd September 2019

Common Oak Midget Phyllonorycter quercifoliella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 5th April 2020

Garden Midget Phyllonorycter messaniella - A total of 12 in my moth trap between 29th July and 25th October 2019, the worst year here since 2015.  I had more than that in a single night in 2018 (17 on 13th October).  2020 was an improvement but still fairly average with 20 between 15th June and 14th November.  Elsewhere just 3 at the meadows in October 2019 and July and August 2020.

Garden Midget Phyllonorycter messaniella, North Elmham, 15th June 2020

London Midget Phyllonorycter platani - None.  I've never seen adults of this species but it seems to be doing well in Norfolk and spreading away from its Norwich stronghold.  Having said that, I'm not sure if there is much (any?) London Plane growing in North Elmham, so my chances of finding it here might not be all that great.


Common Thorn Midget Phyllonorycter oxyacanthae - Singles caught in the garden on 10th August 2019, 24th June and 10th August 2020.  Previously I'd only identified 2 in 2018.  A total of 5 netted at the meadows between 5th April and 13th July 2020, mostly early mornings.  Also what I think was one at the meadows on 4th August 2019, but females are a bit harder to confirm with reference to the genitalia and I wasn't 100% sure I could eliminate sorbi, though its size favoured oxyacanthae.  Another tricky female was caught at home on 6th August 2020 - the genitalia looked close to this species but I didn't feel confident enough especially as there were external differences compared to most examples of this species (e.g. a complete white line through the centre of the thorax).  The genitalia on females are quite delicate and difficult to prepare clearly, so when the differences between species are subtle and the preparation isn't perfect then sometimes you just have to leave them unidentified.  Also a leaf-mine at the meadows on 14th October 2019, sharing a leaf with Phyllonorycter corylifoliella.

male Common Thorn Midget Phyllonorycter oxyacanthae, North Elmham, 10th August 2019

leaf-mine of Common Thorn Midget Phyllonorycter oxyacanthae, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 14th October 2019

male Common Thorn Midget Phyllonorycter oxyacanthae, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 19th April 2020

male Common Thorn Midget Phyllonorycter oxyacanthae, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd May 2020

Rowan Midget Phyllonorycter sorbi - One in my garden moth trap on 31st July 2020 was a new species for the garden.

female Rowan Midget Phyllonorycter oxyacanthae, North Elmham, 31st July 2020

Brown Apple Midget Phyllonorycter blancardella - 3 in my garden trap between 19th May and 23rd July 2019 and 4 between 24th June and 14th August 2020.  These were my first here, or indeed anywhere, since 2015.  An individual on 17th July 2019 showed spines on the tips of the valvae, a genitalic character not normally associated with this species and which initially led to a misidentification as Hornbeam Midget Phyllonorycter tenerella (whose genitalia do have this feature and otherwise look pretty similar to blancardella).  The majority of tenerella show an extensively white base to the forewing, so look quite unlike blancardella externally, but there is one photo of a tenerella on Lepiforum that does show a more extensively orange background colour to the forewings, so I figured mine was an example of this form.  However when I caught a second  individual in 2020 showing the same genitalic feature but looking equally unusual externally for tenerella, my suspicions were really aroused.  Surely if I caught 2 tenerella they wouldn't both look so very much unlike the vast majority of online images of tenerella?  Eventually I discovered a photo of blancardella genitalia on the Dissection Group that showed these spines on the valvae, highlighting this as a "variant form with spine at end of each valva".  More careful examination confirmed that this was indeed the explanation for both moths, the external appearance of which was much more in line with blancardella than tenerella.

male Brown Apple Midget Phyllonorycter blancardella, North Elmham, 19th May 2019

male Brown Apple Midget Phyllonorycter blancardella, North Elmham, 17th July 2019

male Brown Apple Midget Phyllonorycter blancardella, North Elmham, 23rd July 2019

male Brown Apple Midget Phyllonorycter blancardella, North Elmham, 24th June 2020

male Brown Apple Midget Phyllonorycter blancardella, North Elmham, 7th August 2020

Red Apple Midget Phyllonorycter hostis - None.  I've never recorded this species although in my early mothing days I caught a female in Bawdeswell which I was advised couldn't be reliably gen detted but looked like this species.


Next page: more Gracillariidae

A new psyllid and a Mere Wainscot

A wander round the meadows on 30th August produced a nice selection of insects including 8 Common Darters and both Field and Meadow Grasshoppers.  Butterflies included Large, Small and Green-veined Whites, Small Copper, Common Blue, Comma, Red Admiral and at least 17 Speckled Woods.

Large White, North Elmham Catherdal Meadows, 30th August

Small Copper, North Elmham Catherdal Meadows, 30th August

Common Blue, North Elmham Catherdal Meadows, 30th August

Speckled Wood, North Elmham Catherdal Meadows, 30th August

Not many moths seen - just a Yellow Shell and some leafmines (at least one occupied) of Common Oak Midget Phyllonorycter quercifoliella.

occupied leafmine of Common Oak Midget Phyllonorycter quercifoliella, North Elmham Catherdal Meadows, 30th August

Shaking ash keys into a net produced a few insects including at least 10 green lacewings (all those checked were Chrysoperla carnea), Common Earwigs, 7-spot and Harlequin Ladybirds and a new one for me, the (relatively) large green psyllid Psyllopsis fraxinicola.

Psyllopsis fraxinicola, North Elmham Catherdal Meadows, 30th August

Elsewhere around the meadows there were the hoverflies Eupeodes latifasciatus and Eristalis pertinax, and at least 3 Hornets.

Eristalis pertinax, North Elmham Catherdal Meadows, 30th August

An attempt to identify some spiders was met with limited success.  I think this one from Ash keys was probably an Araniella sp., but was immature preventing a full ID.  However it did moult, but although I could just make out its epigyne then, it wasn't clear - it seemed to look closer to Araniella cucurbitina but wasn't really clear.  Maybe still not fully mature, or is it actually something else entirely?

possible immature Common Cucumber Spider Araniella ccuurbitana, North Elmham Catherdal Meadows, 30th August - top photo was taken on the day, lower photo taken a few days later after a moult

The epigyne wasn't clear on this one either (immature?) but a combination of features leads me moderately satisfied that it was Xysticus cristatus.

Xysticus cristatus, North Elmham Catherdal Meadows, 30th August

Slightly easier were Garden Spider Araneus diadematus and Nurseryweb Spider Pisaura mirabilis.

Nurseryweb Spider Pisaura mirabilis, North Elmham Catherdal Meadows, 30th August

Wildflowers included a good display of Autumn Hawkbit.

Autumn Hawkbit, North Elmham Catherdal Meadows, 30th August

Thanks again to James Emerson for help with identifying some fungi.  Among those identified were Brown Mottlegill, Pleated Inkcap, Sulphur Tuft, Dryad's Saddle, Bolete Mould and Hogweed Powdery Mildew.  Others not fully identified included Bolete spp. and Agaricus sp.

Hogweed Powdery Mildew, North Elmham Catherdal Meadows, 30th August

It wasn't a great night for moths that night, but Mere Wainscot was nice, my fifth here.  Other moths were 2 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, Elbow-stripe Grass-veneer Agriphila geniculea, Small Dusty Wave, Single-dotted Wave, Latticed Heath, Common Wave, Large Yellow Underwing, 4 Lesser Yellow Underwings, Square-spot Rustic, Common Wainscot, 4 Flounced Rustics and Snout. The only other insect of taxa that I record was the caddisfly Limnephilus lunatus.

Mere Wainscot (male, gen det), North Elmham, 30th August

August went out with a whimper,  Just a small handful of moths: Clover Case-bearer Coleophora alcyonipennella, Garden Rose Tortrix Acleris variegana, Common Grass-veneer Agriphila tristella, Elbow-stripe Grass-veneer Agriphila geniculea, Lesser Pearl Sitochroa verticalis, Orange Swift, Large Yellow Underwing, 5 Lesser Yellow Underwings, 5 Square-spot Rustics, Centre-barred Sallow and 4 Flounced Rustics.  Also the brown lacewing Hemerobius lutescens and caddisflies 3 Limnephilus lunatus, Limnephilus marmoratus and Ceraclea albimacula.

Lesser Pearl Sitochroa verticalis, North Elmham, 31st August

First big push of year-ticks

This Dark-barred Tortrix Syndemis musculana flying around the garden was new for the year on Monday 15th May.

Dark-barred Tortrix Syndemis musculana, North Elmham, 15th May

That night proved the best so far this year with another 14 species new for the year: 2 Common Oak Midgets Phyllonorycter quercifoliella, Red Birch Midget Phyllonorycter ulmifoliella, 2 Fen Flat-bodies Depressaria ultimella, London Dowd Blastobasis lacticolella, 2 Common Cosmets Mompha epilobiella, Common Birch Bell Epinotia immundana, Bee Moth Aphomia sociella, Small Dusty Wave, Common Carpet, Sandy Carpet, 2 Currant Pugs, White-pinion Spotted, Poplar Hawk-moth and Heart and Dart.

Common Oak Midget Phyllonorycter quercifoliella, North Elmham, 15th May

Red Birch Midget Phyllonorycter ulmifoliella, North Elmham, 15th May

Fen Flat-body Depressaria ultimella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 15th May

Common Cosmet Mompha epilobiella, North Elmham, 15th May

Common Birch Bell Epinotia immundana, North Elmham, 15th May

Small Dusty Wave, North Elmham, 15th May

Common Carpet, North Elmham, 15th May

Sandy Carpet, North Elmham, 15th May

Currant Pug, North Elmham, 15th May

White-pinion Spotted, North Elmham, 15th May

Poplar Hawk-moth, North Elmham, 15th May

Heart and Dart, North Elmham, 15th May

There was also an Ectoedemia sp. which I've not managed to put a name to.  It was too worn to key out positively and the genitalia don't seem to match any of the feasible species with images in the Dissection Group website (but there are a lot of these without images).

Ectoedemia sp. (female), North Elmham, 15th May

Over half the species recorded were new for the year, the remainder being Little Dwarf Elachista canapennella, Brindled Flat-body Agonopterix arenella, 2 Light Brown Apple Moths Epiphyas postvittana, Many-plumed Moth Alucita hexadactyla, Green Carpet, 4 Common Pugs, 4 Brimstone Moths, 2 Scalloped Hazels, Waved Umber, Least Black Arches, 3 Flame Shoulders, 2 Hebrew Characters, Clouded-bordered Brindle and Treble Lines (the last was the same distinctively-worn individual I trapped the previous night).

My first Mayfly of the year was Pond Olive Cloeon dipterum.

Pond Olive Cloeon dipterum, North Elmham, 15th May

Caddisflies included Goera pilosa, new for the year, and Glyphotaelius pellucidus, 2 Limnephilus auricula and Limnephilus sparsus.

Goera pilosa (female), North Elmham, 15th May

Limnephilus sparsus (male), North Elmham, 15th May

Other insects included 2 Green Lacewings Chrysoperla carnea agg., a Black Sexton Beetle and, new for the house, the mirid bug Harpocera thoracica.

Harpocera thoracica, North Elmham, 15th May

I have tried but failed to make any significant progress with identifying this (or another one similar, albeit with an almost-triangular areolet).  I'm beginning to think Ichneumons aren't worth the effort...

unidentified ichneumon wasp (I assume?), North Elmham, 15th May