Saturday 29 June 2019

A record catch with a couple of queries please

Trap run on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning with a record for me of 253 moths and 50 species.
90 Heart and Dart, 53 Dark Arches and 18 Riband Wave.

I have a couple of queries.
Firstly the near white micro below.

Secondly, I had 16 of these. I get extremely confused as to whether these are Uncertain/Rustic/Vine's Rustic.
To me they look like Uncertains due to the Brown colour and faint middle cross band. However, when I have attempted to hold them down and look at the hindwing, some of them seem to be really white like a Vine's Rustic. I don't like doing this as many scales seem to come off. Most of the Vine's Rustic I have had in the past always seem to have a Grey forewing which I count as a positive ID. As regards a Rustic, I don't really know where to start.

Tony Towner
Tilehurst garden.

2 comments:

  1. Hi Tony,
    The micro is Tortrix viridana (they fade from green to white with age). For me your noctuid is probably Rustic (only a hint of a cross-band mid-wing, whereas it is always obvious on Uncertain). However, both Uncertain and Rustic have been out for a few weeks now and worn individuals are starting to appear, so for me they now all go down as the aggregate.

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