Although a few of the recent catches in Wolvercote, Oxon, have been a bit smaller than I'd have expected, Saturday night's was a record-breaker for us, with over 400 individuals of over 80 species: there were large numbers on plants around the trap in the morning (the birds can't have been concentrating) and some interesting individual records - notably six Maiden's Blushes, a species of which we've only had singles on two occasions last year (there were none in the trap last night, so it was presumably a hatch or an influx of some sort).
Metalampra italica has shown up once or twice, too.
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| Maiden's Blush, 26/7/14 |
As ever, we have some uncertainties, mainly in the micro department, and we'd be grateful for any help with them. First up, a couple of macros which I think are Wormwood Pug and a female Bulrush Wainscot; what I think may be a
Eudemis profundana, which was about 8mm long (the colour patterns seem about right, but the colours not quite); what might be a
Eudonia pallida (but equally may just be a not-very-clearly-marked
mercurella); and a possible
Borkhausenia fuscescens. Do those look about right? Steve and Xander Goddard.
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| Possible Wormwood Pug, 24/7/14 |
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| Presumed female Bulrush Wainscot, 25/7/14 |
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| Possible Eudemis profundana, 26/7/14 |
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| Possible Eudonia pallida, 26/7/14 |
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| Possible Borkhausenia fuscescens, 24/7/14 |
Can you see the "large" orange tuft coming out of the thorax of profundana? That's a good diagnostic to look for as it's wing pattern does vary. I'm not convinced by pallida. The last one Nigel should comment on as he's supplied such a quality image for UK Moths. The others I agree with.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant - thanks, Peter, that's two species (Wormwood Pug and profundana) new to the garden. The tuft was about all I had to go off - as you imply, the moth is otherwise not that similar to the wing pattern in the illustration I have.
ReplyDeleteThanks Peter, very kind of you to say so. It looks like B. fuscescens to me.
ReplyDeleteThanks, both.
ReplyDelete