Review of 2019 and 2020 - Moths: Pigmies (Nepticulidae) (Stigmella part 2)

PIGMIES (NEPTICULIDAE) (continued)


Red Elm Pigmy Stigmella lemniscella - None.  I've not found this species yet but it's common and widespread enough so hopefully I'll find it sooner or later.


Golden Pigmy Stigmella aurella - A male just above some Brambles (but beaten from an Oak tree) at the meadows 11th September 2019.  Also some mines at the meadows belonging to this species in both years, and in the Lakes in 2019.

leaf-mine of Golden Pigmy Stigmella aurella, Great Wood, Borrowdale (Cumbria), 5th April 2019

male Golden Pigmy Stigmella aurella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 11th September 2019

Glossy Bramble Pigmy Stigmella splendidissimella - None.  Common and widespread enough to mean I should have a fair chance of finding it locally.


Grey Apple Pigmy Stigmella incognitella - None, but previously recorded in my garden (in 2017).


Least Thorn Pigmy Stigmella perpygmaeella - Single males netted at the meadows on 27th April, 3rd May and 9th May 2020, my first examples of this species.

male Least Thorn Pigmy Stigmella perpygmaeella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 27th April 2020

male Least Thorn Pigmy Stigmella perpygmaeella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd May 2020

Beech Pigmy Stigmella hemargyrella - Singles in my garden moth trap on 4th August 2019 and 30th August 2020.  Also a probable on 7th August 2020, keyed to this species but I damaged the genitalia during the preparation so wasn't able to confirm it.  I had 3 here in 2018.

female Beech Pigmy Stigmella hemargyrella, North Elmham, 4th August 2019

male Beech Pigmy Stigmella hemargyrella, North Elmham, 30th August 2020

Barred Sycamore Pigmy Stigmella speciosa - None.  I've not found this species locally yet but it's common enough and there's Sycamore at the meadows so it should be plausible.


Base-spotted Pigmy Stigmella basiguttella - A male caught in my garden trap on 25th July and a female to light at Swanton Great Wood on 27th August 2019.  These are the first I have identified.  Also an occupied leaf mine at the meadows on 20th September.   None in 2020.

male Base-spotted Pigmy Stigmella basiguttella, North Elmham, 25th July 2019

female Base-spotted Pigmy Stigmella basiguttella, Swanton Great Wood, 27th August 2019

leaf-mine and larva of Base-spotted Pigmy Stigmella basiguttella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 20th September 2019

Red-headed Pigmy Stigmella ruficapitella - a male caught in my garden trap on 24th June 2019.  The minimal extent of blackish androconial hair-scales on hindwing helped to secure the ID of this one, a new moth for me.  Also mines at the meadows in September 2019 and November 2020.

male Red-headed Pigmy Stigmella ruficapitella, North Elmham, 25th July 2019

leaf-mine of Red-headed Pigmy Stigmella ruficapitella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 8th November 2020

Black-headed Pigmy Stigmella atricapitella - A male caught in my garden on 26th July 2020 was new for the garden but followed by 2 more on 7th August.  Although these were gen detted, the blackish androconial hair-scales on the hindwing also help to secure the ID.

Black-headed Pigmy Stigmella atricapitella, North Elmham, 7th August 2020

Chestnut Pigmy Stigmella samiatella - A male caught in my garden on 25th May 2019.  I had caught 5 of these here in 2018 and 2020 saw a return to this form with 5 between 20th May and 20th August.

male Chestnut Pigmy Stigmella samiatella, North Elmham, 25th May 2019

male Chestnut Pigmy Stigmella samiatella, North Elmham, 21st May 2020

male Chestnut Pigmy Stigmella samiatella, North Elmham, 10th June 2020

female Chestnut Pigmy Stigmella samiatella, North Elmham, 20th August 2020

Common Oak Pigmy Stigmella roborella- Singles caught in my garden on 1st June 2019 and 10th August 2020 (plus an unconfirmed probable in July).  I had 2 here in 2018.  Also one at the meadows on 17th May 2020.

female Common Oak Pigmy Stigmella roborella, North Elmham, 1st June 2019

female Common Oak Pigmy Stigmella roborella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 17th May 2020

male Common Oak Pigmy Stigmella roborella, North Elmham, 10th August 2020

Next page: more Pigmies (Nepticulidae)

An oasis of wildlife in a new development

I'd never been to Queen's Hill before.  I'd heard a fair bit about it, largely thanks to the impressive variety of moths that Matthew Casey and friends have found there, but I only knew it as a new housing estate on the outskirts of Norwich.  After trying for Clearwings at New Costessey on Saturday afternoon Dave and I tried our luck at Queen's Hill.  Dave had been here before and among other things had seen Small Yellow Underwings, a striking macro moth that I'd never seen, so being in the area it seemed like a good opportunity to see what all the fuss was about.

We arrived to find a bank of wildflower-rich grassland surrounding a 'storm pond' with scrub surround.  It looked good and we were soon kicking up more Dichrorampha than we could shake a stick at.  In no time I'd found this marvellous Small Yellow Underwing, the first of two.

Small Yellow Underwing, Queen's Hill, 28th May

The various Dichrorampha had little or no dorsal blotch, though some seemed to have enough of a blotch in combination with narrow wings to identify them as Sharp-winged Drill Dichrorampha acuminatana.  I retained four that showed either a faint dorsal blotch or no dorsal blotch, suspecting that some might prove to be plumbana.  That's supposed to be a scarce species and there are only 8 records in the Norfolk Moths database for the last 20 years, though I suspect they're just poorly recorded as I've recorded them at 3 sites in the last couple of years and suspected them elsewhere without proof.  The good news was that two of the four I retained did indeed prove to be Lead-coloured Drill Dichrorampha plumbana.  The better news was that one of the others was Silver-lined Drill Dichrorampha plumbagana, a species only showing in the database as having been recorded 11 times in Norfolk, only once before in VC27, and a new species for me.  And the even better news was that the other one proved to be Obsucre Drill Dichrorampha aeratana, another lifer for me and with just 6 records showing in the database.

 Lead-coloured Drills Dichrorampha plumbana (males, gen det), Queen's Hill, 28th May

Silver-lined Drill Dichrorampha plumbagana (male, gen det), Queen's Hill, 28th May

Obscure Drill Dichrorampha aeratana (male, gen det), Queen's Hill, 28th May

Yes, I know what you're saying - they all look the same.  Well I can safely say that I would not have correctly and confidently identified those four moths without examining their genitalia!  Just goes to show the value of dissecting a selection of moths for the purposes of ID and in doing so helping to show the value of a piece of fantastic habitat.  All 4 feed on Ox-eye Daisies of which there were plenty present.

Two Plume Moths were found - the first a Triangle Plume Platyptilia gonodactyla and the second a Breckland Plume Combrugghia distans.  I had been surprised to learn that the latter were present in the area as I didn't realise their range extended this far east away from the Brecks.

Triangle Plume Platyptilia gonodactyla, Queen's Hill, 28th May

Breckland Plume Crombrugghia distans (male, gen det), Queen's Hill, 28th May

Other things in this patch included this Brown Argus and a single Bee Orchid.

Brown Argus, Queen's Hill, 28th May

Bee Orchid, Queen's Hill, 28th May

I was surprised at first to find a Dark Gorse Piercer Grapholita internana as I hadn't noticed any Gorse, but there was at least one bush at the top of the slope above where I found it.  But there was no gorse in the other meadow where I caught another Grapholita, and that one proved to be a Vetch Piercer Grapholita jungiella, only the third time I've recorded that species.

Dark Gorse Piercer Grapholita internana, Queen's Hill, 28th May

Vetch Piercer Grapholita jungiella, Queen's Hill, 28th May

The scrub turned up a few goodies too including a Thistle Bell Epiblema scutulana and, found among the leaves of its foodplant, a Colt's-foot Bell Epiblema sticticana.  That's another species that's supposed to be scarce but seems to be fairly easy to find where its foodplant is abundant.

Colt's-foot Bell Epiblema sticticana (male, gen det), Queen's Hill, 28th May

A highlight from my perspective was finding my first ever Golden Pygmy Stigmella aurella flying around some bramble.  In the identification process I was initially thrown by the fact that the base of the wings were entirely dark and only looked golden when they reflected the light at certain angles, but I got there eventually.  Not sure if the genitalia are diagnostic in females (though the large bulla seminalis, if I've identified the part correctly, doesn't seem to be present in at least some other Stigmella species?), but in any case it keyed here using the Kleine Vlinders key with each choice being a straightforward one once I realised the golden reflections were real and the wing measurements were referring to wingspan not forewing length.  Like several Stigmella species this one is extremely common with leaf-mines apparently easy to find, but the adult insect is very much more rarely encountered.

Golden Pygmy Stigmella aurella (female), Queen's Hill, 28th May

The willows at the back of the scrub provided a White-triangle Slender Caloptilia stigmatella, a species I don't find very often.

White-triangle Slender Caloptilia stigmatella, Queen's Hill, 28th May

Other moths I've not yet mentioned were 4 Cocksfoot Moths Glyphipterix simpliciella, Yarrow Conch Aethes smeathmanniana, Hook-streaked Grass-Veneer Crambus lathoniellus and Silver-ground Carpet.  A Scorpion Fly proved to be a female Panorpa germanica and Bugs included Dock Bug, a group of about half a dozen Hairy Shieldbugs and this nymph (I think) which I haven't yet been able to put a name to.

unidentified bug (I think?), Queen's Hill, 28th May