I caught another Pyrausta last night - this time I managed to get a view of the underside - not particularly good but it seems to lack the costal band shown in the difficult moths pdf. So it looks like P. aurata. I didn't manage to get it out of the trap but I think it was the same one I saw last night with a single spot on the upperside.
Finally, just checking the final one is a Small Square Spot. Images in the various books seem to conflict on the amount of markings on the Square Spot Rustic but I'm going by the dark spot between the oval and the trailing edge. Is that correct?
Mark Griffiths, Garsington, Oxford.
Hello Mark, yes to Lesser Treble-bar, I'm not 100% sure about the Pyrausta but you are probably correct with aurata, while the last is indeed Small Square-spot. That dark spot on Small Square-spot which you mention is indeed the thing to look for. The moth is fairly constant in its appearance and it is only the occasional reddish forms of Square-spot Rustic which might perhaps catch you out. Size can also be helpful, with Small Square-spot generally being a smaller moth, but I have seen some particularly small Square-spot Rustics already this year. You are likely to see plenty of both species over the next few weeks so you should quickly become familiar with them!
ReplyDeletethanks Dave. So far I've only had one Square Spot Rustic and that was a few days before the small square spots turned up.
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