Review of 2019 and 2020 - Moths: Flat-bodies (Depressariidae) (part 1: Semioscopis, Luquetia and Agonopterix)

FLAT-BODIES (DEPRESSARIIDAE)


Dawn Flat-body Semioscopis steinkellneriana - 2 at the meadows and one in the garden trap, all on 22nd April 2019.  None in 2020.  I've only recorded this species at home once before, on 21st April 2018.

Dawn Flat-body Semioscopis steinkellneriana, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 22nd April 2019

Dawn Flat-body Semioscopis steinkellneriana, North Elmham, 22nd April 2019

Sloe Flat-body Luquetia lobella - 3 in the garden between 1st and 18th June 2019 but only one in 2020, on 15th June.  I do quite well for this species here with between 2 and 6 each year I've lived here up until the singleton in 2020.  2019 was the first time I recorded one anywhere else, though only just up the road at the meadows (on 23rd June).

Sloe Flat-body Luquetia lobella, North Elmham, 1st June 2019

Sloe Flat-body Luquetia lobella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 23rd June 2019

Red-letter Flat-body Agonopterix ocellama - None.  I've recorded this species here twice (2016 and 2018).


Small Purple Flat-body Agonopterix purpurea - One in my garden trap on 11th April 2020 was my third following records here in 2016 and 2018.  Then a day-flying one netted at the meadows on 2nd May and another netted (after dark) at Frost's Common on 21st May.

Small Purple Flat-body Agonopterix purpurea, North Elmham, 11th April 2020

Small Purple Flat-body Agonopterix purpurea, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 2nd May 2020

Sallow Flat-body Agonopterix conterminella - None.  I've never seen this species and probably wouldn't have included it here as a species likely to occur here in future except that there were 2 records in central Norfolk in 2020 (Dave N in Dereham and Keith in Litcham).


Broom Flat-body Agonopterix scopariella - None.  I'm quite keen to see this species having had it on my list for a short while before realising I'd made a slightly embarrassing error.  There was quite a bit of Broom by the railway at the bottom of the meadows so I was quite hopeful, but chances have been reduced since the Mid-Norfolk Railway have decimated the Broom.


Ruddy Flat-body Agonopterix subpropinquella - Singles in the garden trap on 17th April and 28th August 2019.  None in 2020, my first blank full year since moving here (1-3 records each other year).

male Ruddy Flat-body Agonopterix subpropinquella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 17th April

Black-spot Flat-body Agonopterix propinquella - None.  I'm yet to see this here in North Elmham (my only record was from Bawdeswell in 2012).


Brindled Flat-body Agonopterix arenella - 10 in the garden trap between 9th April and 16th June 2019 and another 3 between 22nd August and 12th September.  Slightly more in 2020 with a less obvious distinction between flight periods - 15 between 22nd April and 6th September.  Both fairly average showings.  Also 3 at the Cathedral Meadows on 22nd April and 15th September (2) 2019 and one at Whitwell Street in September 2020.

Brindled Flat-body Agonopterix arenella, North Elmham, 9th April 2019

Common Flat-body Agonopterix heracliana - 26 here between 25th January and 26th March 2019 then one on 25th May and 7 between 7th July and 14th August.  A total of 34 made it my worst year here, though 2 previous years scored 35 so not far behind, but 2020 was worse with only 15 - 11 between 16th February and 22nd April and 4 between 13th July and 8th August.  I suspect this is the bottom of cyclical fluctuation rather than a long-term decline, but if I had to pick a moth to go extinct then this would be pretty high up on my list of candidates...  Elsewhere a total of 43 at the meadows (mainly by torchlight and mostly in 2019) and 1 at Swanton Great Wood.

female Common Flat-body Agonopterix heracliana  North Elmham, 21st March 2019

female Common Flat-body Agonopterix heracliana  North Elmham, 26th March 2019

male Common Flat-body Agonopterix heracliana  North Elmham, 3rd August 2019

Large Carrot Flat-body Agonopterix ciliella - None.  I suspect this species has been massively over-recorded in the past and have checked every heracliana carefully for several years, dissecting the majority.  Having never found ciliella, even among the larger darker examples with pinkish underparts I have to conclude that this species isn't very common!  Now that it is deemed Grade 4 (dissection required to confirm the record) hopefully we will get a clearer picture of exactly how common or scarce it is.  I may have just been unlucky of course...


Dusted Flat-body Agonopterix assimillella - None.  I have only recorded this species once here (or anywhere), in 2017.


Straw Flat-body Agonopterix kaekeritziana - None.  I have recorded this species once here, in 2016.


Gorse Flat-body Agonopterix umbellana - None.  This is maybe the next most likely Agonopterix to be added to my local area list if not my garden list.


Dark-fringed Flat-body Agonopterix nervosa - 2 at the meadows on 22nd August 2019.  Neither were particularly obvious, being quite worn and lacking the dark fringe, so I resorted to gen detting to confirm them.  Also one at Row Heath (West Runton) on 31st August 2019.  None in 2020.  I'd only seen one of these before, in my garden in 2017.

male Dark-fringed Flat-body Agonopterix nervosa, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 22nd August 2019

female Dark-fringed Flat-body Agonopterix nervosa, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 22nd August 2019

Brown-spot Flat-body Agonopterix alstromeriana - One here on 9th April 2019 and then 5 between 27th July and 18th September 2020.  These doubled the number I've seen here since moving in in 2014 (2 in each of 2015 and 2016, singles only in 2017 and 2018).  One of the most attractive Agonopterix in my opinion, not that it has very strong competition.

Brown-spot Flat-body Agonopterix alstromeriana, North Elmham, 9th April 2019

Brown-spot Flat-body Agonopterix alstromeriana, North Elmham, 18th September 2020

Angelica Flat-body Agonopterix angelicella - None.  Another one that I have a reasonable chance of recording locally (there is Angelica growing locally, including sometimes just below the meadows), but haven't done so yet.


Coastal Flat-body Agonopterix yeatiana - None.  Again, one that could turn up locally (despite its common name there are plenty of inland records too and there is Wild Carrot growing along the railway at the bottom of the meadows).  I'm yet to see it in Norfolk though...


Next page: more Depressariidae plus

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

Alderford Common

A relatively warm Friday evening with cloud cover promised for most of the first part of the evening, so a good night to head out somewhere with a light.  Dave is keen to see Small Eggar and we failed to find recently where I'd seen one before at Creaking Gate Lake so he was keen to try his luck at Alderford Common this time, another site the species is known from and where there is plenty of suitable habitat.

We were disapppointed to find that the temperature had plummeted between leaving home and arriving on site - a heavy rain shower had recently passed through and I think it must have cooled things down a bit.  We set up anyway and things got off to a very slow start indeed.  After a while 1-2 moths had flown past the light but nothing had come in and I was starting to wonder if we should cut our losses and head home.  But we stuck it out and suddenly for no apparent reason it got livelier.  In the end it proved a worthwhile trip, although no Small Eggars for Dave.

The best of the macros was a Red Chestnut, followed by Water Carpet.

Red Chestnut, Alderford Common, 8th April

Also 2 March Moths, 3 Shoulder Stripes, 5 Brindled Pugs, Engrailed, 3 Small Quakers, 12 Common Quakers, 9 Clouded Drabs, 5 Twin-spotted Quakers, 2 Hebrew Characters and 2 Early Greys.  Counts are minimums - probably the numbers of the more numerous species were really quite a bit higher.

Shoulder Stripe, Alderford Common, 8th April

Clouded Drab, Alderford Common, 8th April

But as is so often the way it was the micros that provided the most excitement, despite there only being 3 species.  They included Dave's first and my second ever Dawn Flat-body Semioscopis steinkellneriana.

Dawn Flat-body Semioscopis steinkellneriana, Alderford Common, 8th April

Two Caloptilia looked like good candidates for elongella but on dissection provided to be Red Birch Slenders Caloptilia betulicola - a scarcer species and new to both of us.

Red Birch Slender Caloptilia betulicola (male, gen det), Alderford Common, 8th April

Red Birch Slender Caloptilia betulicola (female, gen det), Alderford Common, 8th April

The other micros were at least 4 March Tubics Diurnea fagella.

A few moths at home too: March Tubic Diurnea fagella, Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla, 2 March Moths, Shoulder Stripe, Oak Beauty, Small Quaker, Common Quaker and 4 Hebrew Characters.

Oak Beauty, North Elmham, 8th April