A nice fresh Small Clouded Brindle was a scarce visitor to my Stoke Goldington (North Bucks) garden recently (30th May), but a couple of garden firsts provided added excitement. The pug, I presume, is Freyer's (31st May). I believe the large
Crambid is a female of one of three spp. The
Hants Moths website has a spitting image assigned to
Chilo phragmitella, but female
Donacaula forficella and
Schoenobius gigantella can apparently be very similar; the costa profile being diagnostic? As always, opinions welcomed.
Finally, after debate about a previous Agonopterix, a classic arenella turned up on 30th.
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Small Clouded Brindle
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Freyer's Pug
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Chilo phragmitella?
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Agonopterix arenella
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Hello Keith, yes to Freyer's Pug. I'm not sure about the Crambid. I've tried very hard to get both Chilo phragmitella and Schoenobius gigantella onto my garden list here at Westcott but each time it has been proved by dissection to be Donacaula forficella. However you are a bit closer to some significant water bodies than I am so it would be worth getting your example dissected.
ReplyDeleteThe top specimen is interesting. It looks suspiciously like Cabbage Moth, one form of which is marked with pale brown in exactly this way. Obviously, it is usually a much larger moth, but diminutive individuals do occur. Furthmore, such a prominent whitish, deeply jagged subterminal line is not a usual feature of SCB, I can't see a basal streak and the FW shape doesn't look quite right. If it is one, it is unusually well-marked. If its a Cabbage Moth it is an extreme exmaple. As Dave says, scale would be helpful as size can be important ! See also http://www.simplybirdsandmoths.co.uk/sbam/index.php/2154-cabbage-moth-noctuidae-mamestra-brassicae/ (which appear at least to have been correctly identified).
ReplyDeleteCabbage Moth is the consensus.
ReplyDelete