This moth was sitting on some knapweed in the garden yesterday. I am pretty sure it is Epiblema cirsiana, a moth I have recorded once before at this time of year.
The previous record was confirmed by dissection. Does this individual need dissection as well for confirmation, or is the photo sufficient?
Steve Trigg, Cookham
Hi Steve
ReplyDeleteIt seems reasonable to me to record that as cirsiana based on what you say (add that you have a photo and that it was found on knapweed as a comment to your sighting). Of those five rather similar species it isn't scutulana or costipunctana based on looks, it isn't cnicicolana which is rare and we don't seem to get in our area, so that leaves sticticana (whose larvae feed on colt's-foot) as the only confusion species. If you do have colt's-foot around it would really need dissection.
Many thanks Dave, that is really helpful. I can't rule out colt's-foot being around, so I had better hang on to it.
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