Upper Thames Moths: June 2023

Friday, 30 June 2023

M. lunaedactyla

M. lunaedactyla to mv Denham 26-27 June. Also some in Hants.

Which Peacock?

A bit confused about which Peacock moth this is.

Steve Lockey (Garsington)

Vestal to my actinic trap last night. I wouldn't have thought conditions recently were very good for immigration, so is it possibly locally bred? I had several Vestals last Sep/Oct and I seem to recall that there were quite a lot around generally last year.

Clearwings

Hi there,

I'm very excited! Just used my new lures - SUCCESS!!! Here are the results. Pretty sure that I have Red-belted and Yellow-legged, but oddly, I thought I had put out the Large Red-belted lure!! Must have mixed them up. The Yellow-legged doesn't quite match the illustrations either, so a quick confirmation of both species from one of you experts would be appreciated!

Many thanks, David

id help please

Trying to catch up on my moth trap id from early June I'd be glad of help with this moth which I feel I ought to recognise but have failed with attempts to id

. I'm also curious about this odd micro if it is actually a moth?

Thursday, 29 June 2023

Schoenobius gigantella or Donacaula forficella?

I think this may be a female Schoenobius gigantella, based on overall colour, single black dash at 2/3, no black apical lines, all of which seem to fit this species better than Donacaula forficella, despite the fact that it seems rather small at 16 mm FL. However, termen shape seems more like D. forficella, which is perhaps the more likely species to be found here, and size is a bit worrying, so in the end I'm unsure. I have retained the moth in case dissection is needed. Thanks, Phil.

Syncopacma sp.

I'm thinking this is probably Syncopacma larseniella but as I didn't retain it I guess it needs to go down as Syncopacma sp.

Mark Griffiths, Garsinton, Oxford

Yesterday (27-28 June) was the biggest number I have ever had in my Oxford garden and it included this one - it seems like a Maiden's blush, but without the blush pink or indeed almost any colour at all. Is it?

Wednesday, 28 June 2023

Lighting

I would appreciate any recommendations for artificial lighting when natural light not available for photographing the catches.

Alan D

Tackley

Delicate

A real surprise in the garden trap this morning, a Delicate Mythimna vitellina.

The first one I've had in the garden in over 20 years of trapping.

Presumably this is a migrant? the only other potential migrants last night were 1 Silver Y Autographa gamma and 1 Diamond-back Moth Plutella xylostella.

Definitely worth putting that trap out!

Neil Fletcher
Walter's Ash, VC24

Couple of Lifers....

My mothing year up to about last week was flat as a (something very flat anyway). I've been away in Wales for a week where the numbers of moths are just leagues ahead of what they are round here but last night after getting home I bunged the trap out in my Seer Green garden and got a reasonable haul which included 2 lifers for me (subject to id confirmation...).

Lunar-spotted Pinion

Hoping this is Metalampra italica

Dave Morris, Seer Green

Tuesday, 27 June 2023

Help with micros?

I would really appreciate help with these three. The first two images are of the same specimen - the others I failed to get a side-on shot.

Many thanks

David

So that's what we were looking for...

As mentioned some time ago, at the end of May a bunch of us spent time searching Dyer's Greenweed for larvae of the rare micro-moth Agonopterix atomella on the MoD rifle range at Otmoor, Oxon. It is classified as a species of conservation concern under Section 41 of the NERC Act. Lots of caterpillars were found within spinnings on the larval food-plant, even though nationally the moth itself (and the food-plant) is still in decline thanks to the loss of suitable habitat. I brought home four larvae to try and rear them through and they had all successfully pupated indoors by 15th June. The first adult emerged on 23rd June and the last one did so today. I thought you might like to see what the moth looks like (...not a particularly inspiring species!). The images below show three different individuals.

Dave Wilton Westcott, Bucks

Another Macro query

This moth was in my trap in Merton on Saturday morning, worn and deceased! It's about the size of a Brown Scallop. I've trapped them before but they didn't look like this one. Maybe it's just the wear and tear. Any suggestions?

Micro help please

Can anyone confirm IDs on these two? One I think might be Ancylis achatana, the other I can't work out if it is a worn Mompha ochraceella or Mompha epilobiella.

Mark Griffiths, Garsington, Oxford

Strange macro?

Hi there,

This came to the trap on Saturday night. It's quite worn, so difficult to make out. It's only 3cm between wing-tips, which rules out some of the usual suspects. I'm struck by the pale costa (unless this is wear and tear) the two dark cross lines, and the looping thin black marginal line on the hindwing. I've looked at the 'Tissues', Brown Scallop and Dark Umber, but nothing seems quite right. Any thoughts?

The lighter (top) photo has had contrast enhanced to try to show more detail.

Thanks, David

Monday, 26 June 2023

Strugging with a micro - Eucosma cana?

Not the best photos, but any pointers would be helpful!

Barnaby Briggs, Iver, Bucks

Both A. loeflingiana??

So very different - at first I thought the heavily-marked one was a different species. Can someone please confirm that they are both A. loeflingiana? Thanks, David

White-barred Knot-horn Elegia similella

A surprise in the garden trap this morning, the Nationally Scarce (Nb) White-barred Knot-horn Elegia similella (Pyralidae).

I've seen this before at Holtspur Bottom, but great to add it to the garden list.

I think this is quite scarce in Bucks.

(I presume OK to record based on this photo and does not need gen. det.?)

Neil Fletcher
Walter's Ash, VC24

A couple more questions

Could the first be Amblyptilia punctidactyla rather thanacanthadactyla?

The second is a micro presumably a Coleophora species that came to the Ni lure this morning. Alive it looked a good match for Metriotes lutarea (6mm in length). Unfortunately the photo is of the dead moth as it died when I was trying to get it cool enough to settle for a photo.

Andy Newbold, Sibford Ferris, Oxon.

Cnephasia

Would I record this as Cnephasia sp?

Alan Diver

Tackley

Sunday, 25 June 2023

Dusky Clearwing

Dear All

Dusky Clearwing to TAB lure (in bucket trap) at Tubney, VC22 found today (approx. 2.30 pm) 25th June. Trap had been checked twice daily since Monday 19th and was previously checked on 23rd.

As "Tubney Wood" was the last place it was reliably recorded in the 20th century, it seemed the appropriate place to start!

Now to find it in VC23

Martin Townsend

Sticking my neck out!

Hi,

I think this is Homoeosoma sinuella. Never seen it before, and not at all sure from the Guide that it ought to be in my garden. Thoughts anyone? David

Some micros

A few micros from the last few nights that might be of interest.

I had put the first down as Delplanqueia inscriptella but had let it go before realising it is a grade 4 moth. I have had one confirmed previous site record.

The second is Ethmia dodecea. A new garden record.

The third I think must be the melanic form of Archips podana. I don't know how unusual these are. I have not seen one before.

Andy Newbold, Sibford Ferris, Oxon.

Lures

I have had my LUN lure out for the last couple of weeks and caught nothing but flies. Then a couple of days ago I put out the lure for Tineola bisselliella and within 24 hours it had attracted a Lunar Hornet Clearwing. I decide to put the LUN lure away and when I went to collect it found it had attracted this micro that looks like a candidate for Triaxomasia caprimulgella. The head is very yellow which does not show well in this image.(5mm in length).

Andy Newbold, Sibford Ferris, Oxon.

Clearwings again

Further to my previous post, my tipuliformis at HYL lure reminded me to remind everyone else of the importance of specifying the lure used for pheromone trap records. I know most of you do that, but I have seen records without this information.

This year I am leaving my HYL lure out (in shade) for the rest of the summer and my TAB lure is similarly placed somewhere else. Apart from improving our knowledge of distribution I'm hoping this will gather more information on flight period, i.e. rather than putting it out just because someone happens to have caught that particular species. If you can find a safe shady place where it can be checked daily I feel this well worthwhile. I have attached a roof to mine as further protection against cooking the moths, i.e. a piece of thin ply about 240x240 mm with the string threaded through it in four places around the edge.