Pyrausta purpuralis

I ran a couple of traps at Homefield Wood near Marlow, Bucks on Thursday evening.  There weren't many moths at all but the usual suspects did turn up, including Oncocera semirubella, Mocha, Pretty Chalk Carpet & Clouded Magpie, along with a year-first Six-striped Rustic.

While checking the hind-wings (as I'm sure you all do...) to separate Pyrausta purpuralis from Pyrausta aurata, I found the odd-looking purpuralis shown below.

Pyrausta purpuralis, Homefield Wood 15th August

Pyrausta purpuralis, Homefield Wood 15th August

This is not the first time I've seen an aberrant form of this moth and a more extreme example from 2014, illustrated below, springs immediately to mind.

Pyrausta purpuralis, Bernwood Meadows 14th May 2014

Pyrausta purpuralis, Bernwood Meadows 14th May 2014

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks