A couple of micro queries

I had quite a few tricky micros to identify in the garden trap this weekend. Is this first one Argyresthia spinosella?

The next one I am stuck on. The forewing measured slightly less than 5mm.

Finally, is this moth possibly a faded Eudonia angustea?

Steve Trigg, Cookham

Help needed with micro

This tiny micro-moth was found today on hawthorn flowers at Dancersend when I was searching for beetles. It was very small - less than 5mm - with variable colour depending on the light, but no obvious marks. I wondered if it was one of the Micropterix sp, but the leg spurs look a bit too developed. Can you help?

Many thanks
Mick Jones

Quick query from Longwick

Friday night was a much better evening from a trapping point of view with a couple of Lime Hawks and Small Elephant Hawk appearing for the first time this year - as also did White Ermine.

I just wanted to check the tortrix pictured. I assumed it might be Capua Vulgana but I have only seen one before and I'm aware they are quite variable.

The Clepsis Dumicolana are now starting to increase with a dozen on view at the same time on Saturday.

A Carpet question

This photo was sent to me by someone who has just started moth trapping in the village.
He suggested a White-banded Carpet which seems unlikely but I am struggling to suggest alternatives.

Andy Newbold, Sibford Ferris, Oxon.

Bryotropha basaltinella?

The moth below appeared in the house yesterday. I potted it and a picture is below - it has a good likeness for Bryotropha basaltinella though is new to me.  Unfortunately, I see that it requires gen. det. to separate from B. dryadella and this one managed to escape while I was photographing it. Comments on ID welcomed in case I'm barking up the wrong tree.

Adam Bassett
Marlow Bottom

Water Carpet?

For the first time this year, well over a hundred moths in the MV garden trap on Friday night. 164 individuals, 49 species of which 17 were micros.
I just wanted to double-check that the moth below is a Water Carpet, as this would be a new addition to the garden list.

Broken-barred Carpet - Cookham 24-May-19

I also trapped only my second Purple Bar. The previous one was back in 2014.

Purple Bar - Cookham 24-May-19
 

Steve Trigg, Cookham

Light Knot Grass?

This moth from last night has got me puzzled  -  possibly an Acronictinae species and my best guess would be the melanic form (Ab. suffusa) of the Light Knot Grass.  Hind wings are grey.  Comments welcomed!

Background is 5mm grid.  I have kept the moth in case it warrants further inspection.

Richard Ellis
Chorleywood

ID confirmations please

I seem to be getting some plain White Ermines - not plain enough to be a candidate for Water Ermine though I think.

I'm wondering if the second moth is a very dark Reddish Light Arches.

The final moth is I think a Knot-grass.

The last picture is apparently of Reduvius personatus, the Masked Hunter which apparently can give a very nasty bite if handled. 


Mark Griffiths, Garsington, Oxford

Yellow-legged Clearwing

A single Yellow-legged Clearwing turned up to my VES lure today in the garden at Beenham, Berks this afternoon at 3.30pm, and after the lure had been out for about 3 hrs.

Only my second ever!

Pug query

I think my image is a Common Pug with white spots and not a White spotted Pug. Am I correct ?.
I may have gone for a White spotted at times in the past so would like confirmation one way or another.

Steve Lockey (Garsington)

Scorched Wing and questions

The Scorched Wing shown in the first photo came to my trap on 23 May and I record it here because it is the first I have caught. The second photo shows another moth found in the same trap. I think it must be an unusual form of Treble Lines, and a similar specimen is shown in Plate 54 of the third edition of the Waring/Townsend/Lewington field guide, but I would be pleased to have confirmation. There were 18 Treble Lines of the usual type in the same trap. The third photo shows one of the Beauties, found in my trap on 20 May and with wing length 23mm, which I think is a Pale Oak Beauty. Again, I would be pleased to have clarification.

John Clough, Marlow

IDs & a question

Catches are starting to improve.

I got my first Footman last night - usually I get the Common or Dingy first. This one is either Orange or Buff I think but the angle is a bit awkward - are those wings straight or curved?

Re Rufous Minor - thanks to Peter Hall I've recorded all of the Minors except Rufous. I wonder if either of these might be candidates. I suspect not.

Is the Rufous Minor likely in a garden? If not I'll call off the search.

Mark Griffiths, Garsington, Oxford.

  

Monopis?

Is it possible to distinguish species from this photo?. Thanks

Steve Lockey (Garsington)

more moths

Beginning to get more species of moths but small numbers of any one species. 1 each of privet, Lime and Small elephant Hawk moths in last 2 days. Cockchafers far out numbering any one species of moths; 7 or 8 in last few nights.

Grateful for help with moths below.

2 Dark sword-grass?

Lesser treble-bar

Seraphim

Ochreous pug

Micro 1a

Micro 1b

Alan Diver

Tackley

Red-tipped Clearwing

Following the tip (no pun intended!) from Dave W. that the Red-tipped are out now I tried my FOR lure at two places this afternoon. I had no luck at Paice's Wood, Berks, but at Decoy Heath, Berks, a single Red-tipped Clearwing came to the FOR lure after about 15mins at about 3.00pm. It proved a little more challenging to photo but eventually sat still for a few seconds. As Dave points out the white edges to the 'tail' are clearly different from the other two 'reds'. The guide suggests that these wear off quickly after a few flights.

Another White-barred also came to the TIP lure although this took 20mins to appear.

ID Confirmations please

Trap run last night in the garden at Tilehurst.

8*Treble Lines: 7*Shuttle-shaped Dart: 3*Heart and Dart: 1*Light Brown Apple Moth: 1*Diamond-back Moth.

2*Light Brocade (I think) and 1*Uncertain (I think) - please see photos.

Tony Towner.

First new garden species of 2019

I was very happy to welcome moth species number 972 to the garden at 4.15pm this afternoon.  Having taken a few clearwing pheromone lures out and about with me yesterday and getting nothing at all for my trouble (as seems to happen almost without fail!) I almost didn't bother, but at mid-day today I decided to hang out three lures in the garden.  From those in the freezer I chose FOR (for Red-tipped), MYO (for Red-belted) and VES (for Orange-tailed and Yellow-legged), put them in three separate pheromone traps and left them to it.  Nothing happened in the first four hours, but shortly afterwards while mowing the lawn I noticed some activity around the FOR lure and saw a clearwing enter the trap.  A quick check confirmed that this was indeed a Red-tipped Clearwing coming to the correct lure, a first record of this species for the garden!  It seemed to be a rather worn individual because the red 'belt' on the abdomen was almost non-existent (it is actually slightly clearer in the grotty first in-trap image than it is in the second).  The white outer "tail feathers" are a noticeable feature of Red-tipped, something which isn't at all clear in the picture of this species in the field guide.

Red-tipped Clearwing, Westcott 22nd May

Red-tipped Clearwing, Westcott 22nd May

Nothing had come to the other lures by the time I brought them all in at 6pm.  Red-tipped is the fifth clearwing species for the garden.  Perhaps this year I'll finally get Hornet Moth too, which uses poplar trees only a couple of hundred metres from here.

The pheromone traps are something of a god-send.  I bought some from the manufacturer several years ago and thankfully they are now also available from entomological suppliers such as ALS because they cut down the amount of waiting around which one has to do.  Some species don't hang around the lures for long once they realise it isn't a real female.

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks   

ID & some familiar faces

Some firsts for the year here. What I assume is a Nutmeg (no shoulder mark) - I also got the first Rustic Shoulder-knot, a Willow Beauty(?), Light Brocade, Common Carpet and Common Swift.

I've not been able to ID the Tortrix, all the ones that look like it I've seen are due out later in the year.

Mark Griffiths, Garsington, Oxford.

Pseudococcyx posticana?

Could only photo in the pot- rather lively!.Am I fairly near?

Steve lockey (Garsington)

Red-belted Clearwing

Here's another photo of the Red-belted Clearwing that might be more helpful in IDing it.

As you can see it has no red at the base or the tip of the wing on the upper surface. This is the same individual as in the previous picture. I'm sorry that the other picture was a bit misleading.

Cheers Derek