Hello Linda, I'm afraid the original images are far too dark to see any detail so I hope you don't mind but I've taken the liberty of putting them through Photoshop to get something that we might be able to work with. I agree with you that the first is a Celypha other than lacunana but I always find separating cespitana and rivulana a real challenge and my small number of records of each have always been dissected (they are both found in our area). Let's see if anyone else is willing to take up the challenge from a photo! The second one I'm fairly sure is just Archips xylosteana. I'm not familiar with A.oporana which is definitely a rare species although the map in the field guide suggests that it may be known from Oxfordshire.
...and I see from the Micro-moth Distribution Maps (very much out-of-date now, but see under the links on the right of this page) that oporana is apparently known from both VC22 and VC23, although Martin Harvey's micro species list on the Berkshire Moth Group website resources page doesn't mention it.
Thanks very much Dave. Sorry to put you to extra trouble because of the photo quality. The notes on rarity of operana made me wonder about that one, hence the query....
Hello Linda,
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid the original images are far too dark to see any detail so I hope you don't mind but I've taken the liberty of putting them through Photoshop to get something that we might be able to work with. I agree with you that the first is a Celypha other than lacunana but I always find separating cespitana and rivulana a real challenge and my small number of records of each have always been dissected (they are both found in our area). Let's see if anyone else is willing to take up the challenge from a photo! The second one I'm fairly sure is just Archips xylosteana. I'm not familiar with A.oporana which is definitely a rare species although the map in the field guide suggests that it may be known from Oxfordshire.
...and I see from the Micro-moth Distribution Maps (very much out-of-date now, but see under the links on the right of this page) that oporana is apparently known from both VC22 and VC23, although Martin Harvey's micro species list on the Berkshire Moth Group website resources page doesn't mention it.
ReplyDeleteThanks very much Dave. Sorry to put you to extra trouble because of the photo quality.
ReplyDeleteThe notes on rarity of operana made me wonder about that one, hence the query....