Review of 2019 and 2020 - Moths: Clothes Moths (Tineidae) (part 2: Tinea, Monopis and Psychoides)

CLOTHES MOTHS (TINEIDAE) (continued)


Case-bearing Clothes Moth Tinea pellionella - A total of 10 here in 2019, all indoors I think, between 19th May and 10th August.  An above average year for me but topped by a record year in 2020 when I found 24 indoors between 19th April and 22nd December.  Also recorded at a couple of sites in Norwich in 2019 (again, indoors) including one where in addition to several adults, an occupied case was found in the toilet facilities where no fabrics are kept (except for toilet paper which is regularly changed).

Case-bearing Clothes Moth Tinea pellionella, North Elmham, 14th June 2019

larva and case of Case-bearnig Clothes Moth Tinea pellionella, Norwich, 9th July 2019

Case-bearing Clothes Moth Tinea pellionella, North Elmham, 19th April 2020

Fulvous Clothes Moth Tinea semifulvella - A total of 9 caught in my moth trap between 29th June and 15th September 2019, my best year here although I had a slightly higher total once or twice in Bawdeswell. This was promptly followed by a poor year in 2020 with just 3 at home: one on 12th June and 2 on 5th July.  Also one found during the day at the meadows on 22nd May 2019 and one to light at Weybourne in July 2019 and one at Hills and Holes on 21st May 2020.

Fulvous Clothes Moth Tinea semifulvella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 22nd May 2019

Bird's-nest Moth Tinea trinotella - Recorded on 25 nights at home between 25th May and 12th September 2019, making it my best year to date (although only a little better than 2018).  48 over 21 nights between 8th May and 17th August 2020 was probably a further improvement in terms of numbers although I can't compare accurately as I didn't count them on a couple of nights in 2019.  Peak counts of 6 on 23rd July 2019 and 8th May 2020.  Also one at Weybourne in 2019 and 2 at the meadows in 2020.

Bird's-nest Moth Tinea trinotella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 8th September 2020

Brown-dotted Clothes Moth Niditinea fuscella - None.  Although only one was confirmed, I thought I had this species a few times at Bawdeswell so I expected to find it regularly here in North Elmham too.  So in my first autumn here I wasn't too worried about getting a likely candidate gen detted (this was just before I started doing my own gen dets) but since then I've only had one more contender and that one escaped.  I'm therefore still waiting to add this species to the house/garden list.


Skin Moth Monopis laevigella - One at Weybourne on 5th July was the only one I identified in 2019 making it my second consecutive blank year here (although in 2018 a strong contender escaped before I could confirm it).  Just one in 2020, found in my home on 8th May.  Ideally I prefer to dissect this species to confirm them as they can closely resemble weaverella, especially when worn, but this one escaped before I had a chance.  However it was a very fresh individual with strong irroration and virtually no tornal spot (and was also a very large individual) so I think the ID is safe enough.

Skin Moth Monopis laevigella, North Elmham, 8th May 2020

Carrion Moth Monopis weaverella - In contrast to the previous species 2019 was my best year for this one, with 27 individuals recorded in my garden on 17 nights.  Only 2 were in the first flight period (26th May and 1st June) the rest being between 22nd July and 26th August.  2020 was even better with 40 over 26 nights, 6 between 8th and 23rd May and 42 between 4th July and 21st August (including a record 5 on 14th August).  Also 4 at the meadows over the 2 years, one at Swanton Great Wood in 2019, one on Mull in 2019 and one at Hills and Holes in 2020.  I am happy to record the more obvious examples without gen det but any that aren't at all clear go under the scalpel to be confirmed.

male Carrion Moth Monopis weaverella, North Elmham, 26th May 2019

male Carrion Moth Monopis weaverella, North Elmham, 8th May 2020

Yellow-backed Moth Monopis obviella - Singles in my garden trap on 29th June 2019 and 30th and 31st July 2020.  I'd only recorded 2 prevously, both in 2017.

male Yellow-backed Clothes Moth Monopis obviella, North Elmham, 29th June 2019

Pale-backed Moth Monopis crocicapitella - One at the meadows on 31st May and one caught in my garden trap on 1st June 2019.  Very probably one here again on 20th May 2020 but unfortunately it escaped before I was able to confirm it.  Excluding 2020 when the only record wasn't confirmed, I have recorded this species here annually since moving in in 2014.

female Pale-backed Clothes Moth ]Monopis crocicapitella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 31st May 2019

Drab Clothes Moth Haplotinea insectella - None in 2019 but 3 in the garden moth trap in 2020, on 24th June and 4th and 17th July.  I've now recorded 8 of these once-rare moths here, but only in 3 of the 6 years I've been trapping (2 in 2015 and 3 in 2018).

female Drab Clothes Moth Haplotinea insectella, North Elmham, 24th June 2020

male Drab Clothes Moth Haplotinea insectella, North Elmham, 17th July 2020

Hart's-tongue Smut Psychoides verhuella - My search for the larvae of this species at the meadows had been unsuccessful but instead led to the discovery of a population of aphids of a species that was not previously known to exist outdoors in Britain and northern Europe.  Then in turn, when looking to check if the aphids were still present I discovered an adult verhuella sitting on the underside of a Hart's-tongue leaf, on 15th June 2019, a new moth for me and only the 10th record for Norfolk.  I have now found both species of Psychoides on Hart's-tongue growing here.

male Hart's-tongue Smut Psychoides verhuella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 15th June 2019

Fern Smut Psychoides filicivora - I've already written about the 2 adults that emerged in February 2019 from larvae collected from the Cathedral Meadows in November 2018, so won't repeat myself here (you can read that here).  Back at home I trapped an adult in my garden on 2nd June 2019 which was only the second I have caught here (and the first one I saw alive as the one in 2017 was found dead in the bottom of the trap).  Then in 2020 one netted in the garden during the day on 9th May was followed by a total of 4 attracted to pheremone lure trap for Currant Clearwing between 15th and 27th May.

male Fern Smut Psychoides filicivora, North Elmham, 2nd June 2019

male Fern Smut Psychoides filicivora, North Elmham, 15th May 2020

Next page: Bucculatricidae

Two nice new moths for the garden and a rare but distinctive caddisfly

Saturday 26th May was a quieter night than the previous night but there was still plenty of interest.  Best of all was this Triple-barred Argent Argyresthia trifasciata, new for the garden and only my second ever - and a beautiful little moth.

Triple-barred Argent Argyresthia trifasciata, North Elmham, 26th May

Other moths that were new for the year were Fulvous Clothes Moth Tinea semifulvella, Hedge Case-bearer Coleophora striatipennella, Common Carpet, Flame and Marbled Minor agg., though the last of these doesn't count as it got away preventing a species-level ID.

Fulvous Clothes Moth Tinea sermifulvella, North Elmham, 26th May

Hedge Case-bearer Coleophora striatipennella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 26th May

Common Carpet, North Elmham, 26th May

Flame, North Elmham, 26th May

Other moths were Bird’s-nest Moth Tinea trinotella, Beech Midget Phyllonorycter maestingella, Rush Marble Bactra lancealana, Common Birch Bell Epinotia immundana, Bee Moth Aphomia sociella, Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla, 2 Silver-ground Carpets, Garden Carpet, Broken-barred Carpet, Green Carpet, 6 Mottled Pugs, Currant Pug, 4 Common Pugs, 2 Brimstone Moths, 2 Pale Tussocks, 2 Orange Footmen, 5 White Ermines, Cinnabar, Flame Shoulder, 2 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, Common Wainscot and 4 Treble Lines.

Setaceous Hebrew Character, North Elmham, 26th May

There was only one caddisfly in the trap but it was a highly distinctive creature that I didn't recognise at all.  It turned out to be Limnephilus elegans, a species of raised bogs and fens that according to the RES handbook is "Local in New Forest, north Midlands, N England, Wales and Scotland."  Well I don't know about you but in view of that I wouldn't expect to find this species in a central Norfolk garden!  But there seemed to be no mistaking it and a quick check with the county recorder confirmed that there is at least one county record (at Ranworth).  But it does seem to be pretty rare anywhere in East Anglia, so probably my best caddisfly yet.

Limnephilus elegans, North Elmham, 26th May

By catch also included a couple of new species for the garden, Common Red Ant Myrmica rubra (I'm sure that wasn't really new for the garden of course, but its the first red ant here that I've looked at critically) and the beetle Bembedion lampros.  Also the mayfly Pond Olive Cloeon dipterum and a Common Wasp.

Next day this Cream Wave was on my gate, a new species for the year.

Cream Wave, North Elmham, 27th May

In the trap that night the highlight was a Large Brindled Clothes Moth Triaxomera parasitella, my second new moth for the garden in consecutive nights.

Large Brindled Clothes Moth Triaxomera parasitella, North Elmham, 27th May

Also new for the year were Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteuchia culmella, Blood-vein, 2 Sandy Carpets, Brown Rustic and a fully-identified Marbled Minor.

Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteucha culmella, North Elmham, 27th May

Blood-vein, North Elmham, 27th May

Sandy Carpet, North Elmham, 27th May

Brown Rustic, North Elmham, 27th May

Marbled Minor (male, gen det), North Elmham, 27th May

Other moths were Beech Midget Phyllonorycter maestingella, 2 Little Dwarfs Elachista canapennella, Common Marble Celypha lacunana, Yellow-faced Bell Notocelia cynosbatella, Hook-streak Grass-veneer Crambus lathoniellus, Small Magpie Anania hortulata, Bee Moth Aphomia sociella, 2 Silver-ground Carpets, 2 Green Carpets, Mottled Pug, 2 Common Pugs, 2 White Ermines, 2 Heart and Darts, Shears, 2 Common Wainscots and 2 Treble Lines.

Hot on the heels of the previous day's indivual there was another Bembidion lampros.

Bembedion lampros, North Elmham, 27th May

Two garden firsts

Moths at Ryburgh on Tuesday 30th May included 2 Common Nettle-taps Anthophila fabriciana and 4 Silver-ground Carpets.  A Broad-bodied Chaser was better and a Garden Bumblebee.

There were two new moths for the garden that night - Brindled Tortrix Ptycholoma lecheana and Triangle Plume Platyptilia gonodactyla.

Brindled Tortrix Ptycholoma lecheana, North Elmham, 30th May

Triangle Plume Platyptilia gonodactyla, North Elmham, 30th May

Some more were new for the year here: Fulvous Clothes Moth Tinea semifulvella, Sloe Flat-body Luquetia lobella, 2 Barred Marbles Celypha striana and Marbled Brown.  A Small Clouded Brindle wasn't new for the year after one 5 days earlier but it was only my second here since moving in.

Fulvous Clothes Moth Tinea semifulvella, North Elmham, 30th May

Sloe Flat-body Luquetia lobella, North Elmham, 30th May

Barred Marble Celypha striana, North Elmham, 30th May

Marbled Brown, North Elmham, 30th May

Other moths were Blackthorn Slender Parornix torquillella, Buff Rush Case-bearer Coleophora caespititiella, Dark-barred Tortrix Syndemis musculana, 6 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, 2 Yellow-faced Bells Notocelia cynosbatella, 2 Triple-blotched Bells Notocelia trimaculana, 4 Hook-streaked Grass-Veneers Crambus lathoniellus, Common Grey Scoparia ambigualis, Garden Pebble Evergestis forficalis, 4 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, Common Swift, 2 Blood-veins, Flame Carpet, Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet, 4 Silver-ground Carpets, Garden Carpet, Common Marbled Carpet, Green Carpet, Mottled Pug, 2 Currant Pugs, 12 Common Pugs, Brimstone Moth, Willow Beauty, White-pinion Spotted, 3 Light Emeralds, 2 Coxcomb Prominents, Buff-tip, Orange Footman, White Ermine, 4 Buff Ermines, Cinnabar, Heart and Dart, Flame Shoulder, 2 Ingrailed Clays, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Common Wainscot, 2 Brown Rustics, Clouded-bordered Brindle, Marbled Minor, 11 Treble Lines, Vine's Rustic, 2 Spectacles and 8 Straw Dots.


The soldier beetle Cantharis decipiens was new for the house.  The caddisfly Limnephilus flavicornis was new for the year.  Another caddis was Hydropsyche pellucidula and there were two mayflies, both Pond Olives Cloeon dipterum.

Cantharis decipiens, North Elmham, 30th May

Limnephilus flavicornis, North Elmham, 30th May

Another visit to Burnham Overy on 31st May produced a few moths: 4 Plain Fanners Glyphipterix fuscoviridella, Hook-streaked Grass-Veneer Crambus lathoniellus, Yellow Belle and 12 Cinnabars.  Butterflies included 2 Small Coppers, 5 Brown Arguses, 5 Common Blues and Painted Lady.  There were 3 Four-spotted Chasers and a Broad-bodied Chaser, while beetles included 2 Garden Chafers and a 7-spot Ladybird.

Broad-bodied Chaser, Burnham Overy, 31st May

On the way home I stopped at Ryburgh where a good selection of moths included Plain Gold Micropterix calthella, 6 Common Nettle-taps Anthophila fabriciana, 4 Cocksfoot Moths Glyphipterix simpliciella, Common Marble Celypha lacunana, 2 Square-spot Drills Dichrorampha sequana, 2 Lead-coloured Drills Dichrorampha plumbana, Silver-ground Carpet and Grass Rivulet.

Lead-coloured Drills Dichrorampha plumbana (males, gen det), Ryburgh, 31st May

Also 3 Common Blue Damselflies here and a bug nymph which I think is probably Leptopterna dolabrata - please let me know if you can confirm or otherwise.

probable Leptopterna dolabrata, Ryburgh, 31st May

Slightly fewer moths at home that night but still three new for the year: Twin-barred Knot-horn Homoeosoma sinuella, Mottled Rustic and Gold Spot. The latter is normally a magnificent creature but this one was rather worse for wear.

Twin-barred Knot-horn Homoesoma sinuella, North Elmham, 31st May

Mottled Rustic, North Elmham, 31st May

Gold Spot, North Elmham, 31st May

Other insects included the caddis Limnephilus lunatus and a Black Sexton Beetle.

Oblique Carpet and Shaded Pug, unexpected local records

15th June was fairly unremarkable by mid June standards.  Poplar Grey was the only new moth for the year.

Poplar Grey, North Elmham, 15th June

The other moths were 2 Diamond-back Moths Plutella xylostella, 4 Buff Rush Case-bearers Coleophora caespititiella, Garden Cosmet Mompha subbistrigella, Plum Tortrix Hedya pruniana, Hook-streaked Grass-Veneer Crambus lathoniellus, 2 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis, 5 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, Bee Moth Aphomia sociella, 2 Common Swifts, 2 Silver-ground Carpets, Foxglove Pug, 4 Common Pugs, Clouded Border, 2 Scorched Wings, Willow Beauty, Common White Wave, Light Emerald, Poplar Hawkmoth, Elephant Hawkmoth, Common Footman, 5 White Ermines, 3 Buff Ermines, Cinnabar, 7 Heart and Darts, Flame, Ingrailed Clay, 2 Small Square-spots, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Common Wainscot, 2 Brown Rustics, Marbled Minor, Middle-barred Minor, 15 Treble Lines, 2 Mottled Rustics, 3 Burnished Brasses, 2 Spectacles and 4 Straw Dots.

One of the caddisflies was a new species for me: Tinodes waeneri.  The others included Rhyacophila dorsalis, Limnephilus flavicornis, 2 Limnephilus lunatus and Mystacides longicornis.

Tinodes waeneri, North Elmham, 15th June

Limnephilus flavicornis, North Elmham, 15th June

The following night was much better.  The highlight was a surprise Oblique Carpet, a species I associate with the Broads.  In fact there are a handful of records from elsewhere in Norfolk but they appear to be very thin on the ground away from the Broads.  In west Norfolk (VC28) there don't appear to have been any other records since one in 2013, so it's not something I particularly expected to turn up in my trap.

Oblique Carpet, North Elmham, 16th June

Another species I didn't really expect to see here was Shaded Pug.  This is mainly a Breckland species, though with a fair few records along the north and west coasts too.  In the middle of the county there aren't many records at all, so another good local record.

Shaded Pug, North Elmham, 16th June

Among the 67 species recorded were a further 9 new for the year at home: Fulvous Clothes Moth Tinea semifulvella, Light Grey Tortrix Cnephasia incertana, Marbled Orchard Tortrix Hedya nubiferana, Little Grey Eudonia lacustrata, Lesser Pearl Sitochroa verticalis, Maiden's Blush, 2 Large Yellow Underwings, 2 Dark Arches and 2 Dusky Brocades.

Lesser Pearl Sitochroa verticalis, North Elmham, 16th June

Maiden's Blush, North Elmham, 16th June

Fulvous Clothes Moth Tinea semifulvella, North Elmham, 16th June

Dusky Brocade, North Elmham, 16th June

Marbled Orchard Tortrix Hedya nubiferana, North Elmham, 16th June

Other species were Carrion Moth Monopis weaverella, Cypress Tip Moth Argyresthia cupressella, 9 Diamond-back Moths Plutella xylostella, Buff Rush Case-bearer Coleophora caespititiella, Privet Tortrix Clepsis consimilana, Barred Marble Celypha striana, 5 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Plum Tortrix Hedya pruniana, Crescent Bell Epinotia bilunana, Yellow-faced Bell Notocelia cynosbatella, Hoary Bell Eucosma cana, 4 Hook-streaked Grass-Veneers Crambus lathoniellus, Common Grey Scoparia ambigualis, Narrow-winged Grey Eudonia angustea, 12 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, 5 Common Swifts, Pebble Hook-tip, Blood-vein, 3 Treble Brown Spots, 5 Silver-ground Carpets, Garden Carpet, Common Marbled Carpet, Green Carpet, Sandy Carpet, Foxglove Pug, Lime-speck Pug, Common Pug, 2 Grey Pugs, 3 Clouded Borders, Brown Silver-line, 3 Scorched Wings, 2 Brimstone Moths, 2 Willow Beauties, Clouded Silver, 7 Light Emeralds, Poplar Hawkmoth, Elephant Hawkmoth, Buff-tip, Orange Footman, 2 Common Footmen, 5 White Ermines, 2 Buff Ermines, 9 Heart and Darts, 2 Flames, 2 Ingrailed Clays, Setaceous Hebrew Character, 3 Bright-line Brown-eyes, Rustic Shoulder-knot, 8 Brown Rustics, Clouded-bordered Brindle, 2 Middle-barred Minors, 8 Treble Lines, 2 Mottled Rustics, 3 Burnished Brasses, Beautiful Golden Y and 3 Straw Dots.

Plum Tortrix Hedya pruniana, North Elmham, 16th June

Burnished Brass, North Elmham, 16th June

Crescent Bell Epinotia bilunana, North Elmham, 16th June

Grey Pug (male, gen det), North Elmham, 16th June

Caddisflies included anoither Tinodes waeneri, Hydropsyche pellucidula and Limnephilus lunatus.