Friday 19 August 2016

Prominents prominent

Lots of prominents of several species showing up here in Wolvercote, Oxfordshire: over recent days we've had Pale, Swallow, Iron and Coxcomb all show up several times: two specimens of the latter, which isn't a species we can expect every year, on 17th August. Brimstones remain very numerous, especially gathering around the trap at night rather than necessarily coming into it; and a Canary-shouldered Thorn, also on 17th August, felt rather autumnal.

Canary-shouldered Thorn, 17/8/16

Coxcomb Prominent, 15/8/16
As usual, some micro-related puzzles: a rather poorly-photographed Aethes sp. possibly cnicana, from 15th August; what might be an Ancylis achatana, about 8mm long, from 17th August; a possible Dichrorampha sp., around 7mm long, from 16th August; and an Yponomeuta sp., just possibly not the usual evonymella, also from 16th August.

Possible Aethes cnicana, 15/8/16

Possible Ancylis achatana, 17/8/16

Possible Dichrorampha sp., 17/8/16

Yponomeuta sp., 16/8/16
Finally, I'm as sure as I can be that the beast below, from 15th August, isn't even a moth... but it's quite a nice specimen, and I might just be wrong - if anyone can identify it, or help with any of the micros, we would as ever be grateful.

Steve and Xander Goddard

Probably not a moth, 15/8/16

3 comments:

  1. Your Aethes looks like Cochylis molliculana and the Ancylis looks more like one of the many colour forms of Epinotia nisella but less confident of that one. BW, Marc

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  2. Hi Steve & Xander, I'm not quite sure how you got to Aethes for the first micro. As Mark says, it is definitely a Cochylis although I wouldn't like to say if it is molliculana or perhaps a faded dubitana. A agree with Marc that the second is almost certainly Epinotia nisella, the third is indeed a Dichrorampha and will probably be a faded D. acuminatana but it would need dissection to be sure. The Yponomeuta sp. is just that, while your 'Probably not a moth' is a smart caddis in the genus Athripsodes, probably A. albifrons as it appears to have a white head.

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  3. Thanks, both, and apologies, Dave, for the Aethes confusion: I think I picked up on the brownish tinge to the markings and jumped to conclusions.

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