Monday, 26 July 2021

A few micros

Some good nights in the last week or so in my garden in Wolvercote, Oxfordshire, and inevitably that's meant getting somewhat behind in record-keeping. In the first twenty days of July, I had nearly 100 new for year - many of them species which in previous years were dead certs for June or even earlier. My year list is, I suspect, developing to be similar to or better than last year's, my first in this garden.

There are a few problem moths which I'm going to present in the hope of help in this and a couple more posts. First, some micros: the first, some 21mm, looks like and is the right size for Schoenobius gigantella, but I've got into trouble before for being too sure about that and similar species. The second looks like a gelechiid, but I can't work out which; and the third and fourth likewise I have ideas for - the Celypha lookalike looks very distinctive, but I'm not confident I've pinned it down.

Possible Schoenobius gigantella, 25/7/21

A possible gelechiid, c.5mm, 20/7/21

Maybe Celypha cespitana, c.8mm, 21/7/21

Possible Brachmia blandella, 21/7/21

There are a few, below, which I'm pretty unsure about - as ever, any suggestions would be welcome. They look, notwithstanding the dodgy quality of the photos, fairly distinctive, but I've drawn a blank. As ever, many thanks for any corrections/suggestions.


Unknown micro, 18/7/21

Unknown micro, 25/7/21

Unknown micro, 24/7/21

Steve Goddard

2 comments:

  1. Hi Steve,
    I suspect you've identified the first one correctly, the second is Recurvaria nanella, the third is probably Celypha lacunana and the fourth is probably Teleiodes vulgella. The last trio are all common species which I suspect you will have had before. They are Pammene fasciana, Phycita roborella and Spilonota ocellana.

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  2. Thanks very much, Dave - several of those new for this garden (including Pammene fasciana, which seems to have been rare in my old garden, too). Recurvaria nanella doesn't seem to feature in my Sterling and Parsons, and is entirely new to me. It looks as though Spilonota is on the variable side...

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