Thursday 31 May 2018

Headington micromoth help

Can anyone help me out with names for these three micromoths, caught on a damp night this week?
Thank you!





Good night at the museum

A near-perfect night for trapping at the museum, gave me a box full of moths to sort through during the day.
Lots of new for year included White Ermine, Flame, Small Magpie, Common White Wave, Common Wave, Scorched Wing, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Lime Hawk-moth, Shoulder-striped Wainscot, Light Brocade, Spectacle, Common Swift, Grass Rivulet, Vines Rustic, Udea olivalis, Small Fan-foot, Pine Hawk-moth, Peach Blossom, Middle-barred Minor, Purple Clay and White Point.

There were a bunch of micros as well...these are the ones I'm struggling with, if anyone can help? I have managed to retain a few of them.







Dave Morris, Chalfont St Giles

Elephant hawk moths


Elephant hawk-moth (top) and small elephant hawk moth


Common marbled carpet

Tuesday 29 May 2018

Micro id - perhaps an Epinotia?

Had this micro this morning in Iver, Bucks.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

Barnaby Briggs



IDs & Confirmations please

hi, I think I have

Foxglove Pug

Grass Rivulet

 Hedya pruniana

Middle-barred Minor

Pyrausta aurata

Clepsis sp. ?












Mark Griffiths, Garsington, Oxford

Small elephant hawk-moth and others

Small elephant hawk moth

Tatty specimen. Could it be Little thorn?

Carpet?

Grateful for any help with ID

Alan Diver
Tackley

Toadflax Pug? and others

Is the first a Toadflax Pug (or Foxglove)?

Possibly two very different looking Mottled Rustic and a Large Nutmeg?

Confirmation or correction would be much appreciated.






 Andy Newbold, Sibford Ferris, Oxon.

Garden Moths

21 species in my garden last night; new for the year were Light-brown Apple Moth, Treble Brown-spot, Ingrailed Clay, Codling Moth, Brown Silver-lines, Buff-tip, Straw Dot and one of the Cnephasia species.

Plus, I think this is Incurvaria oehlmanniella?:



Also, this, if anyone can suggest an id for me?


Dave Morris. Seer Green

Monday 28 May 2018

Grass Rivulet, and 2 micro queries

Just under 100 moths in the garden trap last night, comprising 41 species. New for the year included Lime Hawk-moth, Small Elephant Hawk-moth, Maiden's Blush, Light Emerald, Straw Dot, Cinnabar, Archips podana, Agapeta hamana and Udea olivalis. However, the highlight for me was a Grass Rivulet which I have not seen before.


Below are a couple of micros I am not sure about. The first has a forewing length of just 3mm, and I thought it may be a worn Phyllonorycter harrisella?


The second micro has a forewing length of 9mm. Unfortunately, it is deceased so it may not appear in this picture in it's natural resting position. Any suggestions welcome.


Steve Trigg, Cookham

Pine hawk moth etc

Pine hawk moth

Buttoned snout

Broken barred carpet
Scalloped hazel ?

Alan Diver
Tackley


Sunday 27 May 2018

oh no! first Large Yellow Underwing

First one of the year in the trap this morning. On the plus side there was also a Privet Hawk.

Mark Griffiths, Garsington, Oxford.

Saturday 26 May 2018

Toadflax Brocade

Another Toadflax Brocade here last night (apologies for the poor photo), the third so far this year, the others being on 09 May and 23 May.


In previous years I've had singletons here on 05 June 2011, 11 June 2015 and 12 June 2017 so maybe this is becoming a more frequent visitor.

Richard Ellis
Chorleywood

Another Dancersend day-flying micro

Given my poor performance on micro IDs recently, I'd like to check this one out. I think it is a female Cauchas rufimitrella. It was in a wet woodland ride with Cuckooflower nearby.




Mick Jones

Friday 25 May 2018

Micro numbers improving

I had thirteen micro species to the garden trap last night which is the best total to date this year.  They included Elachista argentella and Cataclysta lemnata/Small China-mark which were new for the year list (along with Scalloped Hook-tip, Grass Rivulet, Tawny-barred Angle, Willow Beauty, Pale-shouldered Brocade & Silver Y).  Earlier in the day I'd disturbed two further year-list additions while mowing the lawn, the first being Cauchas rufimitrella while the second was Pseudatemelia flavifrontella.  Although not the prettiest of moths, the latter is a Nationally Scarce species which has been recorded in the garden once previously, two years ago (dissected to confirm).  This one would seem to be flying early enough to rule out josephinae which I've never had here, but I'll get it checked anyway. 

Away from the garden, at nearby Woodham, Bucks where I released the previous night's garden moth catch I inspected a large patch of colt's-foot looking for Epiblema sticticana but none was yet flying there.  Instead there were four examples of the plume Platyptilia gonodactyla and another of that smart yellow and dark blue tortrix Commophila aeneana.

Pseudatemelia flavifrontella, Westcott 24th May

Platyptilia gonodactyla, Woodham 24th May

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks

Elachista argentella?

This small micro was flying around the garden yesterday afternoon. The forewing length is 6mm. I wondered if it was Elachista argentella?


Steve Trigg, Cookham

Sorry! - two more Pugs

Any guidance with these two appreciated.  Is the first Angle-barred Pug?



Steve  Lockey (Garsington)                                                                                                                 

Dancersend micros?

Some micros photograped yesterday during the day at Dancersend. I'm reasonably happy with my id of the first two as Epinotia demarniana, but the third one had me beaten for a while despite having such clear markings. Then I thought - not a micro. Is it a Marbled White Spot?


Mick Jones