The first I thought was Acleris laterana but on looking it up I see it is very similar to A.comariana. Although that's rarer I have alot of wild strawberry in the garden.
Then one of the Treble-bars, I'm leaning to Lesser.
A Swallow Prominent, again I'm leaning towards Lesser Swallow Prominent.
Finally, Spruce Carpet?
Mark Griffiths, Garsington, Oxford
Hi Mark,
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately Acleris laterana and Acleris comariana need dissection to separate. Your moth will almost certainly be laterana (99% of mine are anyway and I've only had comariana confirmed once in Bucks). Comariana doesn't seem to be common in any of our three counties but there is likely to be an element of under-recording because of the need for dissection. The Treble-bar does look like Lesser but, as we've mentioned many times before, putting it in a pot and checking the claspers (as per the Field Guide) is the definitive way of determining males, which they are more often than not. The other two are, as you surmised, Lesser Swallow Prominent and Spruce Carpet.
thanks Dave!
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