Upper Thames Moths: April 2019

Tuesday, 30 April 2019

White-shouldered house moth

White-shouldered House moth

Alan Diver

Tackley

Pyrausta aurata?

I've always been slightly confused over aurata and purpuralis and hope I've got it right.
Picture of Pyrausta nigrata just because it's my first!

Steve Lockey (Aston Rowant NNR)

Saturday, 27 April 2019

The 100th garden species for 2019 appeared in the trap during the wind and rain of last night. Only seven moths turned up, comprising Shuttle-shaped Dart (1), Flame Shoulder (2), Powdered Quaker (1) & Hebrew Character (3), but Flame Shoulder was new to the list while Shuttle-shaped Dart had come in for the first time the previous night.

Shuttle-shaped Dart, Westcott 25th April

Flame Shoulder, Westcott 26th April

While I was going through last night's trap this morning, the large caterpillar below was found wandering around and probably looking for somewhere to pupate. It is, I believe, a Noctua species but doesn't look quite right for Large Yellow Underwing, so may well be Lesser Yellow Underwing. Edit: Actually, having had another look through Porter and then comparing to images on www.ukleps.org and elsewhere on the web, I now think it is a far better match for Old Lady. Anyone care to comment?

Noctuid larva, Westcott 27th April

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks

2 pugs and a micro for ID please

Micro circa 10mm

Brindled Pug?

Double-striped Pug ?

Alan Diver

Tackley

Friday, 26 April 2019

Spruce Carpet?

Please help with the identification of two moths caught on 23 April 19. Perhaps the first is a spruce carpet? The second is rather featureless and is perhaps worn, although the thorax is still hairy.

John Clough, Marlow

Thursday, 25 April 2019

More firsts to check

Sunday night was a bumper night for me. Not only did I have 3 moths that I've had before and 3 new moths that I'm confident that I identified correctly, but I also had 4 pugs which Dave was kind enough to give the names for. Now I've just got 4 left that I'm not 100% confident about, so I would appreciate some help.

A powdered quaker?

A pale prominent?

And this one I'm really not sure about - is it a heart and dart?

Thanks.

Jacqui

Speen, Bucks

Micro query from longwick

Similar moths to others on this blog at the moment and a noticeable increase in micro's. I had a Grey Dagger agg a couple of days ago and a sudden increase in Least Black Arches and Waved Umber in the last couple of days.

The micro above stumped me although it should be obvious. It is 6mm silvery -grey with a yellow / gold head and obvious dark markings at the tornus. Any ideas anyone?

It is good to see numbers increasing as with mainly hedgerow and garden / shade trees here the volume of moths is pretty low at either end of the season!

Wednesday, 24 April 2019

Lime Hawk-moth

I ran my moth trap in my back garden last night but only found this Lime Hawk-moth on the grass near where the trap had been this afternoon.

John Clough, Marlow

Trouble with pugs

I'm glad that I'm not the only one having trouble identifying pugs. I had 3 the other night and I'm not sure what any of them is. Your help would be appreciated.

Furry fellow

Underside of male Pale Tussock moth

Alan Diver

Tackley

23/24 April

Double-striped Pug

An unusually marked Double-striped Pug which had me puzzled for a while!

Richard Ellis
Chorleywood

More Away-days

Taking advantage of the good weather and continuing my April visits to sites being worked regularly this year, on Monday night a couple of MV lights were taken to the BBOWT area of Homefield Wood near Marlow, Bucks. They produced 53 species altogether which was quite a reasonable result for the time of year. There were few moths of particular interest amongst the 38 macros apart from a gorgeous Pinion-spotted Pug which was just about the first moth to appear. Scarce Prominent turned up again while Mocha and Ruby Tiger were first sightings for me in 2019. 15 micro species was a good count and, surprisingly, Micropterix tunbergella (that moth No.1 again) gave the highest count with 11 of them spread between the traps. Others included Swammerdamia pyrella, Caloptilia semifascia, Cochylis atricapitana & Capua vulgana.

Mocha, Homefield Wood 22nd April

Pinion-spotted Pug, Homefield Wood 22nd April

Last night Martin Albertini joined me at Littleworth Common, Bucks where the temperature was decidedly cooler than on Monday and our four MV lights brought in only 34 species (just seven micros), but it was still a worthwhile session. Agonopterix scopariella and Neofaculta ericetella were the only habitat specialists seen at this heathland site but Carpatolechia decorella, Pammene argyrana, Pebble Hook-tip, Birch Mocha & Maiden's Blush were further species new for the year.

Agonopterix scopariella, Littleworth Common 23rd April

Carpatolechia decorella, Littleworth Common 23rd April

Birch Mocha, Littleworth Common 23rd April

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks

Final questions from Monday

One more pug and another micro. Pug - maybe Brindled?
The micro is 6mm in length. I had originally thought it might be Dyseriocrania subpurpurella but the antennae seem rather short and it seems to have a spot on the wing at about 3/4.

Andy Newbold, Sibford Ferris, Oxon.

Tuesday, 23 April 2019

A pug and a micro

In the huge catch (for me) of 32 pugs of 4 species this one eluded identification. The shape of the forewing doesn't seem to fit with anything that is likely.

The identification of this tiny (5mm f/w) micro was also beyond me. The photo has been lightened to show the markings more clearly.

Help will be appreciated.

Dave Ferguson, Beaconsfield, Bucks

Westcott, Bucks

The garden list for 2019 keeps going from strength to strength. On the 19th I added Currant Pug, on the 20th Frosted Green, Brimstone Moth, Waved Umber & Least Black Arches, while on the 21st Pseudoswammerdamia combinella, Mompha subbistrigella, Purple Thorn & Chocolate-tip. Last night was the best of the year to date with 9 micro and 29 macro species altogether, of which 14 were new for the year: Elachista apicipunctella, Phtheochroa rugosana, Argyrotaenia ljungiana, Epinotia immundana, Cnephasia sp, Pyrausta aurata, Alucita hexadactyla, Spruce Carpet, Brindled Pug (at last!), Seraphim, Sallow Kitten, Lesser Swallow Prominent, Pebble Prominent & Pale Prominent.

Phtheochroa rugosana, Westcott 22nd April

Argyrotaenia ljungiana, Westcott 22nd April

Seraphim, Westcott 22nd April

Sallow Kitten, Westcott 22nd April

The Cnephasia will almost certainly be communana which is usually the first to appear here but, continuing the trend of ever earlier emergences, I've not previously had an April record for any Cnephasia. The garden list is currently 33 species ahead of what I'd seen by 22nd April 2018. It is now only a handful short of 100 for the year, which wasn't achieved until 7th May last year, so most things seem to be a good two weeks earlier than usual at the moment.

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks

Pug and micros

I could do with some assistance with the following from last night.

I wondered if this could be a melanic Brindled Pug?

4mm in length

4mm in length. Unfortunately got squashed in processing.

5.5mm in length.

Having had a dearth of micros eight species new for the year turned up last night!

Andy Newbold, Sibford Ferris, Oxon.

Emperor Moth

I tried my Emperor Moth lure at Decoy Heath, Berks, this morning and saw 3 moths. Two were fairly fleeting fly-byes (as seems to be the norm with the lure) but one did land nearby and allowed some photos.

Silver Cloud?

More cloud and and a slightly higher temperature resulted in a better catch last night including what I think must be a Silver Cloud. I know they have been recorded just over the border in Warwickshire but don't know the current situation in the Upper Thames region.

Andy Newbold, Sibford Ferris, Oxon,

Monday, 22 April 2019

More at the museum

Rob Payne and I left lights at COAM over night.

A few new for year species were Purple Thorn, Scorched Carpet, Acleris literana, Adela reaumurella, V Pug, Oak Tree Pug, Common Pug, Tinea trinotella, Red Green Carpet, Grapholita jungiella and my second lifer in two days at my workplace with this Latticed Heath...