Tuesday 9 June 2015

Lychnis?

I wonder if anyone can confirm if this one is The Lychnis, or a faded Campion moth? The stigmata are almost joined as in Campion, but no sign of any purple tints. Any thoughts would be gratefully received!  Dave Maunder

Lychnis moth? Aylesbury, 9-6-2015

6 comments:

  1. These always cause a few headaches Dave. The reniform and orbicular stigma look separate to my eyes, which means it is a Lychnis. I often find the slight purple sheen of the Campion disappears in older specimens.

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  3. Sorry, try again. Yes, this is a Lychnis, which can also have the reniform and orbicular joined. In a Campion as fresh as this the purple would be obvious. Also the shape of the whitish subterminal cross-line on the forewing is diagnostic. On Lychnis it is gently curved in the tornal area, whereas in Campion it carries on zig-zagging.

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  4. Sorry, try again. Yes, this is a Lychnis, which can also have the reniform and orbicular joined. In a Campion as fresh as this the purple would be obvious. Also the shape of the whitish subterminal cross-line on the forewing is diagnostic. On Lychnis it is gently curved in the tornal area, whereas in Campion it carries on zig-zagging.

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  5. Thanks to you both for your comments - glad you've cleared that up.

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  6. Thanks to you both for your comments - glad you've cleared that up.

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