Review of 2019 and 2020 - Moths: Geometers (Geometridae) - part 3: Carpets II (Epirrhoe to Hydriomena)

GEOMETERS (GEOMETRIDAE) (continued)


Small Argent & Sable Epirrhoe tristata - On Mull, one west of Carsaig on 10th June 2019 and 2 along the road to Glengorm on 12th June.  This was the first time I've seen this non-Norfolk species in the UK.

Small Argent & Sable, west of Carsaig (Mull), 10th June 2019

Small Argent & Sable, Glengorm Road (Mull), 12th June 2019

Common Carpet Epirrhoe alternata - At least 40 caught in the garden between 25th May and 12th September 2019.  Not counted on 6 nights but with 1s and 2s around this time I doubt if the true figure was much higher than 40-50, so probably below average (about 60).  In 2020 67 between 21st May and 24th August, my second best total here in 6 years.  Elsewhere recorded next door, at the meadows (27 across 15 dates), and at Bintree Wood, Whitwell Street, Hills and Holes and Weybourne.

Common Carpet, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 22nd May 2019

Wood Carpet Epirrhoe rivata - One caught at home on 7th July 2019.  Until 2018 I was pretty skeptical about Wood Carpet records having noted a number of big pale-banded moths that I had taken to be extreme Common Carpets.  However in 2018 we found such a strong candidate for Wood Carpet at Derby Fen that I was forced to start taking them more seriously.  That individual was identified as Wood Carpet by a combination of features:

1. It was very big – forewing length of about 15.5 mm so outside the given range for Common Carpet and towards the upper end of the range even for Wood Carpet;
2. The white outer band on the forewing was broad, very white and with only very faint trace of a grey line dividing it through the centre (3-4 slightly more prominent grey dots near the leading edge but still faint);
3. The white outer band on the hindwing was similarly broad and white and lacked any grey dividing line;
4. Also the rear border of the white outer band on the forewing was very smooth (I’ve never seen this cited as a feature but it seems to be pretty consistent in most convincing photos of Wood Carpet online – Common Carpet nearly always having a more scalloped rear border to the white outer band on the forewing, at least when fresh).

That individual was a male, but although there are no known differences in male genitalia between the two species the consensus of opinion among all consulted was that this was indeed a Wood Carpet.  Two days later I caught another good candidate at home.  This was a female and although it is not clear that genitalia differences in females are consistent, there is a substantial difference between online images of female Wood Carpet genitalia and all the images I can find of female Common Carpet - and mine resembled the Wood Carpet's genitalia.  I caught one more apparent male at home a little while later and while not all of these 3 showed every character of Wood Carpet in perfection, I'm pretty much satisfied that that's what they all were.  If I'm right then I'm pretty sure that I've overlooked these in the past - the big pale-banded "Common" Carpets probably were Wood Carpets after all.  However, all this assumes that there are actually two clearly distinct different species, and I gather that isn't universally accepted.  Anyway, 2019's was another male, slightly worn and thus not as perfect as the Derby Fen individual but seems to me that it probably sits within the bounds of whatever Wood Carpets actually are.  None in 2020.

apparent Wood Carpet, North Elmham, 7th July 2019

Galium Carpet Epirrhoe rivata - None.  I'm yet to catch this species but there are a scattering of records in mid Norfolk so maybe I'll catch one some time.


Sharp-angled Carpet Euphyia unangulata - Only one trapped in the garden in 2019, on 23rd June.  I had been averaging over 5 a year and caught 3 in my previous worst year (2018).  2020 was better with 6 between 22nd June and 19th August.  Elsewhere 5 caught at the meadows, 5 at Bintree Wood and one at Hills and Holes.

Sharp-angled Carpet, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 23rd June 2019

Sharp-angled Carpet, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 7th July 2019

Sharp-angled Carpet, Bintree Wood, 13th June 2020

Sharp-angled Carpet, North Elmham, 22nd June 2020

Shoulder Stripe Earophila badiata - Totals of 5 trapped in the garden between 21st March and 24th April 2019 and 6 between 19th March and 11th April 2020.  5 is my worst annual total here - I've averaged 9 a year.  Elsewhere just 2 at the meadows on 20th March 2019.

Shoulder Stripe, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 20th March 2019

Shoulder Stripe, North Elmham, 24th April 2019

Shoulder Stripe, North Elmham, 9th April 2020

Streamer Anticlea derivata - Just 3 caught in the garden between 24th April and 19th May 2019 and 16 between 8th April and 9th May 2020.  These were my worst and second-best showings - apart from 23 in 2016 I've caugt 4-5 in the other years.  Elsewhere one at the meadows on 22nd April 2019.

Streamer, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 22nd April 2019

Streamer, North Elmham, 24th April 2019

Beautiful Carpet Mesoleuca albicillata - None.  I have only ever caught one of these, at my last place in Bawdeswell in 2010.  It was quite early in my mothing career and I don't think I realised quite how good it was at the time.  I look forward to the next one, hopefully here in North Elmham.


Dark Spinach Pelurga comitata - Singles caught in my garden on 8th August 2019 and 29th July 2020, then one at the meadows on 7th August 2020.  I'd only ever seen 3 before, all here (one in 2016 and 2 in 2018).

Dark Spinach, North Elmham, 8th August 2019

Dark Spinach, North Elmham, 29th July 2020

Dark Spinach, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 7th August 2020

Mallow Larentia clavaria - Totals of 6 trapped in my garden between 23rd September and 10th October 2019 and 11 between 21st September and 19th October 2020.  These were below par and 2019 was my lowest total so far.

Mallow, North Elmham, 21st September 2020

July Highflyer Hydriomena furcata - 5 caught in my garden between 6th July and 7th August 2019 was below average but 2 in 2020 (29th June and 11th July) was my worst year here so far.  I average 7 a year here but often catch a lot more at other sites - only 3 elsewhere in 2019/20 though, with singles at the meadows, Bintree Wood and Weybourne.

July Highflyer, North Elmham, 5th August 2019

July Highflyer, North Elmham, 29th June 2020

May Highflyer Hydriomena impluviata - One here on 25th May 2019 and 3 between 17th and 21st May 2020.  This species isn't quite annual here though I usually catch 2-3.  Also one at Sculthorpe Moor on 26th April 2019 and 2 at Hills and Holes on 21st May 2020.

May Highflyer, North Elmham, 25th May 2019

May Highflyer, North Elmham, 17th May 2020

Next page: more Geometridae

Another Wood Carpet

After a couple of poor nights it was back to form on 11th June with the following new moths for the year (for the garden): Light Grey Tortrix Cnephasia incertana, Small Grey Eudonia mercurella, False Cacao Moth Ephestia woodiella, Ghost Moth, Dwarf Cream Wave, Riband Wave, Heart and Club, Large Nutmeg (not annual here) and Small Fan-foot.

Ghost Moth, North Elmham, 11th June

Heart and Club, North Elmham, 11th June

Large Nutmeg, North Elmham, 11th June

Small Fan-foot, North Elmham, 11th June

In addition to these was a new moth for the garden, or at least one that I have not put down before (and some might argue should still not put down).  I've been a but dubious of claims of Wood Carpet and have probably thrown away "Common Carpets" that were a bit bigger than normal with clearer white bands in the wings before.  But buoyed by the really obvious one at Derby Fen I couldn't help wondering about another such individual trapped at home two nights later.  It wasn't nearly such an obvious candidate as the Derby Fen example as it had a weak grey line through the white band, more-or-less throughout its length, and the band itself wasn't as completely pure white, but it was big and it looked better in life than it does in the photos!  Now if it is the case that these cannot be done on genitalia then it probably isn't wise to claim such a non 'classic' individual as Wood Carpet, and I have heard it said that this is the case - there is no difference in genitalia.  It certainly is, as far as I can tell, impossible to separate these two on male genitalia, but the images of female genitalia on the Dissection Group website show very obviously different female genitalia for Common Carpet and Wood Carpet, as well as a comparison plate, the inclusion of which implies that this is a real difference rather than just variation between individuals.  Well, my moth was a female, and her genitalia were exactly like the image in the Dissection Group for Wood Carpet.  So on that basis, for the time being at least, I'm calling it a Wood Carpet, but I should point out that at least one expert considers that these are not separable and may not even be valid species.

 

apparent Wood Carpet (female), North Elmham, 11th June

Other species were Hedge Case-bearer Coleophora striatipennella, 5 Buff Rush Case-bearers Coleophora caespititiella, 3 Brown House Moths Hofmannophila pseudospretella, 2 Light Brown Apple-moths Epiphyas postvittana, Barred Marble Celypha striana, 14 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Plum Tortrix Hedya pruniana, Yellow-faced Bell Notocelia cynosbatella, 3 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, 4 Hook-streak Grass-veneers Crambus lathoniellus, 2 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis, 3 Narrow-winged Greys Eudonia angustea, 2 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, Elder Pearl Anania coronata, Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla, 2 Blood-veins, 4 Treble Brown Spots, Flame Carpet, Red Twin-spot Carpet, 4 Silver-ground Carpets, 2 Common Marbled Carpets, 3 Green Carpets, Sandy Carpet, Foxglove Pug, Mottled Pug, Freyer's Pug, Common Pug, 2 Grey Pugs, Clouded Border, Brown Silver-line, 2 Peppered Moths, Privet Hawk-moth, 2 Coxcomb Prominents, Marbled Brown, Buff-tip, 10 Orange Footmen, Common Footman, White Ermine, 8 Buff Ermines, 4 Cinnabars, 4 Heart and Darts, Ingrailed Clay, Bright-line Brown-eye, 3 Common Wainscots, 6 Brown Rustics, Small Angle Shades, 2 Marbled Minors, Middle-barred Minor, Treble Lines, Burnished Brass, 15 Straw Dots and Snout.

Foxglove Pug, North Elmham, 11th June

There were two mayflies in the trap, one of which was a Baetis sp., possibly a Large Dark Olive Baetis rhodani.  It's size may have helped resolve this one but unforunately I didn't get to measure it before it dried out and shrunk.  The other was one of the Anglers' Curse species and if I identified it correctly (some of the features are pretty subtle) it was a new one for me, Caenis luctuosa.

possible Large Dark Olive Baetis rhodani, North Elmham, 11th June

Caenis luctuosa, North Elmham, 11th June

Caddisflies consisted of Hydropsyche pellucidula, Phryganea grandis and Limnephilus flavicornis, the grandis being new for the year.  There was also the mirid bug Psallus perrisi.

Phryganea grandis, North Elmham, 11th June

 
The following night was atrocious again with just 19 species: Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteuchia culmella, Hook-streak Grass-veneer Crambus lathoniellus, Narrow-winged Grey Eudonia angustea, Small Magpie Anania hortulata, Silver-ground Carpet, Buff-tip, White Ermine, 8 Buff Ermines, 2 Heart and Darts, Flame, 2 Flame Shoulders, 2 Ingrailed Clays, Common Wainscot, 4 Brown Rustics, Dark Arches (new for the year), 2 Treble Lines, 3 Mottled Rustics, Straw Dot and 2 Snouts.

A nice day on 13th June meant several new insects at the meadows.  My first Ringlet and Meadow Browns of the year as well as Common Blue and Painted Lady.

Ringlet, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 13th June

Meadow Brown, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 13th June

Common Blue, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 13th June

A Four-spotted Chaser in one of the meadows was the first one I've seen here.

Four-spotted Chaser, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 13th June

The green lacewing Chrysopa perla is one I don't get at home very often - apparently they don't favour gardens.

Chrysopa perla, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 13th June

An unremarkable selection of moths consisted of Common Marble Celypha lacunana, Silver-ground Carpet, Common Carpet, Yellow Shell, Cinnabar and Silver Y.  Garden Chafer and Swollen-thighed Beetle represented the beetles and the hoverfly Melangyna umbellatarum was a new species for me.

Melangyna umbellatarum, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 13th June

 I think this leafmine on Creeping Buttercup belongs to the fly Phytomyza ranunculivora.

mine of Phytomyza ranunculivora, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 13th June

Another species I hadn't identified before was this striking digger wasp, Ectemnius cephalotes.

Ectemnius cephalotes, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 13th June

There were some nice wildflowers on show too, like these Common Spotted Orchids and Herb Bennet.

Common Spotted Orchids, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 13th June

Herb Bennet, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 13th June

It looks like this Grass Vetchling is relatively unusual, and is certainly easily overlooked.

Grass Vetchling, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 13th June

This Maidenhair Spleenwort is an attractive plant growing profusely on the chapel ruins.

Maidenhair Spleenwort, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 13th June

Derby Fen

I was supposed to be 'in charge' at the Norfolk Moth Survey event at Derby Fen as none of the usual suspects could make it that night (9th June).  I'd not been there before so Dave and I arrived early and had a wander round. We managed to find a good range of moths in the lower parts of the fen including my first ever confirmed Marsh Pug, a Hawthorn Bent-wing Bucculatrix bechsteinella and a variety of the commoner Coleophora species.  We also found Little Grass-veneer Platytes cerussella to be abundant here, a species I’ve only previously seen in those sorts of numbers in the Brecks.

Marsh Pug, Derby Fen, 9th June

We were then joined by Tony and Garry and set up light traps. What may perhaps have been the best area to set them was too far to lug all the equipment, although Tony did manage to get his smaller trap down as far as a patch of Bog Myrtle. I was hoping we might find a Light Knot Grass there, but no such luck – but between us we did trap a nice variety of species including a few decent ones like Wood Carpet and Sloe Pug (both lifers for me).

Wood Carpet, Derby Fen, 9th June

Sloe Pug (male, gen det), Derby Fen, 9th June

We were surprised to find a Saltmarsh Plume Agdistis bennetii, but it seems like it was a good year for this species turning up inland.

Saltmasrh Plume Agdistis bennetii, Derby Fen, 9th June

Hawk-moths included Pine, Eyed, Poplar, Elephant and Small Elephant Hawk-moths and there were 3 Fox Moths. There were good numbers of July Belles and Sharp-angled Carpets along with 2 Shaded Pugs, 2 Four-dotted Footmen, a Broom Moth, 2 Bird’s Wings and a Dark Spectacle.

Fox Moth, Derby Fen, 9th June

Four-dotted Footman, Derby Fen, 9th June

Broom Moth, Derby Fen, 9th June

Bird's Wing, Derby Fen, 9th June

Other macro moth species we recorded were Ghost Moth, 4 Common Swifts, 2 Pebble Hook-tips, Treble Brown Spot, Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet, 3 Silver-ground Carpets, Common Carpet, Yellow Shell, 2 Purple Bars, 3 Common Marbled Carpets, 5 Green Carpets, May Highflyer, Sandy Carpet, 's Pug, Wormwood Pug, 2 Common Pugs, 2 Grey Pugs, Small Yellow Wave, 2 Clouded Borders, Brown Silver-line, 5 Scorched Wings, 4 Brimstone Moths, 2 Peppered Moths, Willow Beauty, 3 Clouded Silvers, Light Emerald, Pebble Prominent, 2 Lesser Swallow Prominents, 2 Marbled Browns, 2 Pale Tussocks, 5 White Ermines, 2 Buff Ermines, 2 Cinnabars, Heart and Club, 6 Heart and Darts, 4 Flame Shoulders, Ingrailed Clay, 3 Setaceous Hebrew Characters, 4 Shears, 2 Light Brocades, 2 Bright-line Brown-eyes, Lychnis, Common Wainscot, 5 Shoulder-striped Wainscots, Grey or Dark Dagger, 6 Brown Rustics, Angle Shades, 3 Dark Arches, 2 Clouded-bordered Brindles, 2 Small Clouded Brindles, Large Nutmeg, 2 Rustic Shoulder-knots, 5 Marbled Minors, 2 Tawny Marbled Minors, 18 Middle-barred Minors, 6 Treble Lines, Mottled Rustic, Marbled White Spot, 4 Burnished Brasses, 2 Silver Ys, Dark Spectacle, Spectacle, Beautiful Hook-tip, 12 Straw Dots and Snout.

The rest of the micros were 3 Sorrel Bent-wings Opostega salaciella, Yellow-barred Long-horn Nemophora degeerella, Diamond-back Plutella xylostella, Gorse Case-bearer Coleophora albicosta, Hedge Case-bearer Coleophora striatipennella, Grey Rush Case-bearer Coleophora glaucicolella, Common Rush Case-bearer Coleophora alticolella, 3 Buff Rush Case-bearers Coleophora caespititiella, Large Groundling Teleiopsis diffinis, 2 Black-headed Conches Cochylis atricapitana, 2 Barred Fruit-tree Tortrixes Pandemis cerasana, Timothy Tortrix Aphelia paleana, Flax Tortrix Cnephasia asseclana, 9 Light Grey Tortrixes Cnephasia incertana, 6 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Plum Tortrix Hedya pruniana, 3 Triple-blotched Bells Notocelia trimaculana, Bright Bell Eucosma hohenwartiana, 4 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, 2 Hook-streak Grass-veneers Crambus lathoniellus, 15 Meadow Greys Scoparia pyralella,

Caddisflies included Hydropsyche pellucidula and Limnephilus sparsus and there was a Glow-worm.

After all that lot it was a surprisingly quiet night back at home - which made me wonder how good Derby Fen would have been on a better night.  Single-dotted Wave and Snout were the only new moths for the year at home, the rest being Beech Midget Phyllonorycter maestingella, Cinerous Neb Bryotropha terrella, Barred Marble Celypha striana, 3 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Yellow-faced Bell Notocelia cynosbatella, 2 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, Hook-streak Grass-veneer Crambus lathoniellus, Common Grey Scoparia ambigualis, Garden Pebble Evergestis forficalis, 2 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, Pebble Hook-tip, Cream Wave, Treble Brown Spot, 3 Silver-ground Carpets, Currant Pug, Pale Oak Beauty, Lesser Swallow Prominent, Buff-tip, Pale Tussock, 2 Orange Footmen, Common Footman, White Ermine, 4 Buff Ermines, Cinnabar, Flame Shoulder, 4 Ingrailed Clays, 3 Common Wainscots, Brown Rustic, Tawny Marbled Minor, Middle-barred Minor, 2 Mottled Rustics, 8 Straw Dots; also the caddisfly Limnephilus flavicornis.

Cinereous Neb Bryotropha terrella, North Elmham, 9th June

The following night was dire - just 19 species at what was coming up to the peak time of the year: Little Dwarf Elachista canapennella, White-shouldered House Moth Endrosis sarcitrella, London Dowd Blastobasis lacticolella, Narrow-winged Grey Eudonia angustea, Garden Pebble Evergestis forficalis, Small Magpie Anania hortulata, Treble Brown Spot, Clouded Border, Buff-tip, 2 White Ermines, 6 Buff Ermines, Heart and Dart, Flame Shoulder, Ingrailed Clay, 2 Common Wainscots, 2 Brown Rustics, Middle-barred Minor, Mottled Rustic and Burnished Brass.

There was a better range of moths during the day at the Cathedral Meadows next day, with Sorrel Bent-wing Opostega salaciella, Buff Long-horn Nematopogon metaxella, Cork Moth Nemapogon cloacella, Cherry-fruit Moth Argyresthia pruniella, Diamond-back Plutella xylostella, Cinerous Neb Bryotropha terrella, Common Yellow Conch Agapeta hamana, Yellow-spot Tortrix Pseudargyrotoza conwagana, 2 Light Grey Tortrixes Cnephasia incertana, 12 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Plum Tortrix Hedya pruniana, Yellow-faced Bell Notocelia cynosbatella, Hoary Bell Eucosma cana, 11 Hook-streak Grass-veneers Crambus lathoniellus, Common Grey Scoparia ambigualis, Yellow Shell, 4 Green Carpets and Straw Dot.

Buff Long-horn Nematopogon metaxella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 11th June

Cherry-fruit Moth Argyresthia pruniella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 11th June

Diamond-back Plutella xylostella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 11th June

Light Grey Tortrix Cnephasia incertana (male, gen det), North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 11th June

Common Marble Celypha lacunana, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 11th June

Bugs included 2 Leptopterna dolabrata and a female leafhopper would have been a new species for me if I'd managed to identify it to species-level - it was either Cicadula persimilis or Cicadula quadrinotata, but you need a male to get any further than that.

Leptopterna dolobrata, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 11th June

 Cicadula persimilis/quadrinotata, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 11th June

I netted a beetle seen flying over the railway and this proved to be Hydrobius fuscipes.  I think this is a very common species as I've found several since but this was the first one I'd identified.  There was also a 24-spot Ladybird and the hoverfly Eupeodes corollae.

Hydrobius fuscipes, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 11th June

Eupeodes corollae, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 11th June

I think this spider is Tetragnatha extensa, another I'd not identified before.

Tetragnatha extensa, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 11th June