Review of 2019 and 2020 - Bugs: Plant bugs - part 7: Phylini II (Phoenicocoris to Psallus)

PLANT BUGS (MIRIDAE) (continued)


Tribe PHYLINI (continued)


Phoenicocoris obscurellus - One in my garden moth trap on 13th July 2019, my second record here following one in 2018.

Phoenicocoris obscurellus, North Elmham, 13th July 2019

Phylus coryli - One in the garden on 25th June 2020 came to a pheremone lure trap for Yellow-legged Clearwing.  I caught 5 in my moth trap in 2017-18 but none recorded in 2019.

Phylus coryli, North Elmham, 25th June 2020

Phylus melanocephalus - I gather that 'Phylus palliceps' is now considered to be a variety of Phylus melanocephalus and not a separate species - both forms occur here though the orange-headed palliceps type are commoner than the original black-headed melanocephalus.  Singles caught in my garden moth trap on 24th June and 16th July 2019 (both palliceps-type) and 7 between 11th June and 4th July 2020 (3 palliceps-type and 4 traditional melanocephalus).  Also a black-headed one swept off Broom at the meadows on the earlier date of 1st June 2020.

Phylus melanocephalus, North Elmham, 24th June 2019

Phylus melanocephalus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 1st June 2020

Phylus melanocephalus, North Elmham, 12th June 2020

Plagiognathus arbustorum - One in my moth trap on 24th June 2019 was new for my garden; another here (found indoors) on 6th July 2020.  The same day as the latter one on St John's Wort at the meadows and then one there on Hogweed on 20th July.

Plagiognathus arbustorum, North Elmham, 24th June 2019

Plagiognathus arbustorum, North Elmham, 6th July 2020

Plagiognathus arbustorum, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 6th July 2020

Plagiognathus chrysanthemi - One swept at the meadows on 20th July 2020, my second record of this species.  Then a week later one in the garden moth trap, my first here.

Plagiognathus chrysanthemi, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 20th July 2020

Plagiognathus chrysanthemi, North Elmham, 27th July 2020

Psallus falleni - 4 males in the garden moth trap between 10th and 17th August 2020.  I'd only identified this species once before (2018) but I think I have overlooked it in the past (as I think I did for what was almost certainly another one on 8th August 2020 - misidentified at the time due to a contradiction in the reference I was using regarding the width of pale at the base of the cuneus).

Psallus falleni, North Elmham, 12th August 2020 - showing aedeagus in second photo

Psallus falleni, North Elmham, 14th August 2020

Psallus flavellus - None.  I identified this species in my garden in 2018.


Psallus haematodes - One at the meadows on 22nd August 2019 and one in the garden moth trap on 1st August 2020 - I've had 1-2 here before in 2016 and 2018.

Psallus haematodes, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 22nd August 2019

Psallus haematodes, North Elmham, 1st August 2020

Psallus perrisi - I identified 3 of these from my garden and 1 from the meadows in 2018 but haven't found any males since.  Some female perrisi/wagneri were found in 2020 - see under wagneri below.


Psallus varians - I had thought this was the commonest Psallus here in the past but in 2020 when I realised I'd been confused by the contradiction in my reference over Psallus falleni, I reviewed my previous records (only from photos as I didn't keep the specimens).  I think some of them are probably fine but several look like they may have been misidentified and so I'm now considering the latter unproven.  Anyway, I had identified 5 here (all to light) in 2019 but am now only leaving one of those records standing, that from 1st June.  I've also reviewed the 11 I had recorded here in 2018 and deleted 5 of those (but the other 6 look good).  Some of those I've deleted may well have been correctly identified but others were probably falleni.  Only one identified here in 2020, on 24th June, and I think I may have identified that one before realising the problem with falleni, so am excluding that one from the records too (it looks a bit doubtful from the photo).  The same applies to my first record from the meadows in 2020 but those on 27th May and 23rd June were processed after I was aware of the problem and I think these are fine (the latter was a male, gen detted).

Psallus varians, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 27th May 2020

Psallus varians, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 23rd June 2020 - showing aedeagus in second photo

Psallus wagneri - Female bugs at the meadows on 27th May (3) and 13th June 2020 were either this species or Psallus perrisi.  I did have a confirmed perrisi here in 2018 but the only fully identified record of this duo from the meadows in 2020 was my first confimred male wagneri, on Broom (under Oak) on 1st June.

Psallus wagneri, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 1st June 2020 - showing slightly different orientations of the aedeagus in second and third photos

Next page: Nabidae

Abnormal Antler Moth and Barred Rivulet

This Antler Moth was new for the year on Friday 4th August.  There can be a bit of variation in the pattern of Antler Moths but I don't think I've ever seen one before that completely lacked the oval mark.  It was a bit worn but I don't think that can explain it - there are dark scales present in the place where you would normally expect to see a pale oval (just above the pale kidney mark that is present as normal).

Antler Moth, North Elmham, 4th August

Other moths trapped that night were House Groundling Bryotropha domestica, Orange Crest Helcystogramma rufescens, Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix Pandemis heparana, 2 Maple Buttons Acleris forsskaleana, Dark-triangle Button Acleris laterana, Common Marble Celypha lacunana, Holly Tortrix Rhopobota naevana, Marbled Piercer Cydia splendana, 26 Pearl Veneers Agriphila straminella, 6 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, 3 Garden Pebbles Evergestis forficalis, Pale Straw Pearl Udea lutealis, 4 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, 2 Grey Knot-horns Acrobasis advenella, Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla, Small Fan-footed Wave, Single-dotted Wave, 6 Riband Waves, Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet, Common Carpet, Yellow Shell, Phoenix, Currant Pug, Yellow-barred Brindle, Scorched Carpet, Canary-shouldered Thorn, Willow Beauty, Common Wave, 3 Dingy Footmen, Shuttle-shaped Dart, Flame Shoulder, 3 Large Yellow Underwings, 5 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwings, Small Square-spot, Setaceous Hebrew Character, White-point, Common Rustic, Lesser Common Rustic, Vine's Rustic, Silver Y, 2 Spectacles and 12 Straw Dots.

Scorched Carpet, North Elmham, 4th August

Silver Y, North Elmham, 4th August

Another Licoris tripustulatus (mirid bug) was the most interesting other insect; a sub-imago Pond Olive Cloeon dipterum (mayfly) being the only other thing I recorded.

The following night was very poor - just 25 moths: Common Marble Celypha lacunana, 5 Pearl Veneers Agriphila straminella, 2 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, Mother of Pearl Pleuroptya ruralis, Single-dotted Wave, 2 Riband Waves, Willow Beauty, Pale Prominent, Dingy Footman, Buff Ermine, Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, Small Square-spot, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Square-spotted Clay, Common Rustic, Spectacle and 3 Straw Dots.

The best moth on 6th August was a Barred Rivulet, a species I saw here shortly after moving in in 2014 but hadn't seen anywhere since then.

Barred Rivulet, North Elmham, 6th August

Other moths were Brown Birch Slender Parornix betulae, Bird-cherry Ermine Yponomeuta evonymella, Woundwort Case-bearer Coleophora lineolea, 2 Long-horned Flat-bodies Carcina quercana, Brindled Flat-body Agonopterix arenella, 2 Cinereous Groundlings Bryotropha terrella, 2 House Groundlings Bryotropha domestica, Dingy Dowd Blastobasis adustella, Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix Pandemis heparana, Dark-triangle Button Acleris laterana, Garden Rose Tortrix Acleris variegana, Common Marble Celypha lacunana, Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteuchia culmella, 10 Pearl Veneers Agriphila straminella, 6 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, Pale Straw Pearl Udea lutealis, 3 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, Grey Knot-horn Acrobasis advenella, Dotted Oak Knot-horn Phycita roborella, Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla, Maiden's Blush, Blood-vein, 2 Single-dotted Waves, Riband Wave, Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet, Double-striped Pug, Coxcomb Prominent, Dingy Footman, Scarce Footman, Shuttle-shaped Dart, 2 Large Yellow Underwings, 2 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwings, Setaceous Hebrew Character, White-point, Lesser Common Rustic, Vine's Rustic, Silver Y and 7 Straw Dots.

Among the caddisflies Ylodes conspersus was a new species for me and Lype phaeopa was new for the year.  There was also a Hydropsyche pellucidula along with Forest Bug and the sexton beetle Nicrophorus investigator.

Ylodes conspersus (female), North Elmham, 6th August

Lype phaeopa, North Elmham, 6th August

The following evening a wander round the local gravel pits looking for birds produced insects instead, some of which didn't bite me (although most did, it seemed).  Not many moths but among 3 Straw Dots was a tortrix which at first I took to be a Dichrorampha sp.  It was only when I went to dissect it a few weeks later and reviewed my photos that I realised it was something more interesting, and sure enough the dissection went on to confirm it - my first Pea Moth Cydia nigricana.

Pea Moth Cydia nigricana (male, gen det), Bittering, 7th August

This bug also proved to be a lifer - Plagiognathus chrysanthemi.

Plagiognathus chrysanthemi, Bittering, 7th August

A few interesting moths at home that night included a nice Notch-wing Button Acleris emargana and a Webb's Wainscot.

Notch-wing Button Acleris emargana, North Elmham, 7th August

Webb's Wainscot, North Elmham, 7th August

Elbow-stripe Grass-veneer Agriphila geniculea was also new for the year and 3 Pale-streak Grass-veneers Agriphila selasela were notable.

Elbow-stripe Grass-veneer Agriphila geniculea, North Elmham, 7th August

Pale-streak Grass-veneer Agriphila selasella, North Elmham, 7th August

Other moths were Bird-cherry Ermine Yponomeuta evonymella, Brown House Moth Hofmannophila pseudospretella, Long-horned Flat-body Carcina quercana, Ash-coloured Sober Acompsia cinerella, Bulrush Cosmet Limnaecia phragmitella, Hook-marked Straw Moth Agapeta hamana, Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix Pandemis heparana, Heather Tortrix Argyrotaenia ljungiana, Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana, Common Marble Celypha lacunana, Rush Marble Bactra lancealana, Two-coloured Bell Eucosma obumbratana, Marbled Piercer Cydia splendana, Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteuchia culmella, 14 Pearl Veneers Agriphila straminella, 20 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, Beautiful China-mark Nymphula nitidulata, Garden Pebble Evergestis forficalis, Pale Straw Pearl Udea lutealis, 3 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, Grey Knot-horn Acrobasis advenella, Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla, Blood-vein, 4 Single-dotted Waves, Common Carpet, Yellow Shell, Currant Pug, Brimstone Moth, Scalloped Oak, Pale Prominent, 2 Dingy Footmen, 3 Large Yellow Underwings, 4 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, Rustic, Burnished Brass and 7 Straw Dots.

Heather Tortrix Argyrotaenia ljungiana, North Elmham, 7th August

Beetles consisted of Bradycellus verbasci and my first identified Pterostichus niger.  3 Pond Olives Cloeon dipterum represented the mayflies while caddisflies included Ithytrichia lamellaris and Hydropsyche siltalai.

Pterostichus niger, North Elmham, 7th August