Hi Steve, That's a nicely marked Powdered Quaker. Very occasionally you'll get one that is slightly more "colourful" than the standard sandy grey versions which seem to dominate in our area.
Steve I don't blame you for doubting yourself. I'm not entirely sure but I'm veering towards pale Common Quaker. The main feature I am not happy about is the large size of the oval mark. Also both stigmata are proportionately larger than is usual for gracilis and the forewing tip is rather rounded. These are such variable moths. I caught a Common Quaker last year that's so dark and with gun barrel straight leading edge I almost convinced myself it was Northern Drab.
I think my vote goes for Common Q as well. If it's a male there are fairly clear differences in the antennae, with Common having much more obvious pectinations than Powdered does. Shown well on Chris Lewis's site:
It looks like I've been out-voted! I must say that the image still shouts Powdered Quaker to me, though. That said, we are all working with one hand tied behind our backs in that a) we don't have the actual moth in our hands (always easier that way), b) in the photo the moth appears to be sitting in a more tightly-wrapped "playing dead" condition than its normal resting position, c) there's no indication of size and d) we can't see the antennae. If you still have the moth, Steve, is there any chance you could prod it into life and take another picture to add to your report? Powdered is always easier to wake up than is Common so that might be a clue too...!
Hi Steve,
ReplyDeleteThat's a nicely marked Powdered Quaker. Very occasionally you'll get one that is slightly more "colourful" than the standard sandy grey versions which seem to dominate in our area.
Thanks Dave, I thought that it was a Powdered but then started looking at pale Common and started to doubt myself
ReplyDeleteSteve I don't blame you for doubting yourself. I'm not entirely sure but I'm veering towards pale Common Quaker. The main feature I am not happy about is the large size of the oval mark. Also both stigmata are proportionately larger than is usual for gracilis and the forewing tip is rather rounded. These are such variable moths. I caught a Common Quaker last year that's so dark and with gun barrel straight leading edge I almost convinced myself it was Northern Drab.
ReplyDeleteI think my vote goes for Common Q as well. If it's a male there are fairly clear differences in the antennae, with Common having much more obvious pectinations than Powdered does. Shown well on Chris Lewis's site:
ReplyDeletehttps://britishlepidoptera.weebly.com/244-orthosia-cerasi-common-quaker.html
https://britishlepidoptera.weebly.com/247-orthosia-gracilis-powdered-quaker.html
It looks like I've been out-voted! I must say that the image still shouts Powdered Quaker to me, though. That said, we are all working with one hand tied behind our backs in that a) we don't have the actual moth in our hands (always easier that way), b) in the photo the moth appears to be sitting in a more tightly-wrapped "playing dead" condition than its normal resting position, c) there's no indication of size and d) we can't see the antennae. If you still have the moth, Steve, is there any chance you could prod it into life and take another picture to add to your report? Powdered is always easier to wake up than is Common so that might be a clue too...!
ReplyDeleteSorry chaps I took it back to the trap and it decided to make a run for it. It's forewing was 17mm which doesn't tell us much.
ReplyDelete