I put my trap out last night with the slightly warmer weather arriving. I was very pleased to catch 25 moths. The largest number so far this year. I had March Moth 5, Small Quaker 5, Hebrew Character 5, Common Quaker 2, Satellite 2, Chestnut 1, Twin Spotted Quaker 1 and I think Clouded Drab 4. I would appreciate if someone could confirm that they are Clouded Drabs....I do find them a bit confusing!
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| Drab 1 |
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| Drab 2 |
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| Drab 3 |
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| Drab 4 |
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| Drab 1 Antennae |
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Twin Spotted Quaker
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Sorry they are not great photos. I hope they are good enough to tell.
Many thanks
Lorna Woolhouse, Checkendon, South Oxon
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In case it helps, I've added close-up images of male Clouded Drab and Lead-coloured Drab antennae below. To the naked eye those of Clouded Drab don't look "feathered" but those of Lead-coloured Drab certainly do:
DW
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| Clouded Drab |
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| Lead-coloured Drab |
Hi Lorna, Drabs 2 and 4 are definitely Clouded Drab. Unless it is just an artefact of the picture, Drabs 1 and 3 seem to me to have rather more rounded wing-tips so have a bit more potential to be Lead-coloured Drab, but the way to tell for sure (for males anyway) is to prod them into life so that their antennae are visible. If the antennae are clearly feathered to the naked eye then you have Lead-coloured Drab. It is nowhere near as common as Clouded Drab in our area but if you've got aspen/poplar nearby then you stand a good chance of seeing.
ReplyDeleteHi Dave, thank you for all the help with ID. I have added a photo of the antennae of Drab 1. Unfortunately I don't have a photo of Drab 3 antennae. I shall be sure to look at them more closely next time and learn from my mistakes!
ReplyDeleteHi Lorna
ReplyDeleteThe differences are also illustrated and described here http://www.mothscount.org/text/105/guide_to_difficult_species_online.html
Martin
I really appreciate both your help on this. This blog us such an invaluable source of information for a newbie like me!
ReplyDelete