The Skinner MV and small actinic traps produced a relative bonanza of 192 moths of 74 species, not including a small handful of micros which have yet to be identified. Notable FFYs were Garden Tiger, Cinnabar, second-generation Double-striped Pug, and Common Rustic (species), the first of many no doubt. SFYs Drinker Moth and Sharp-angled Carpet, worthy of mention Cloaked carpet x3 and the Pyralid
Phlyctaenia coronata.
Common though they are I couldn't resist posting photos of these beautiful moths (Cinnabar is not so common here because Ragwort is banned from the property!) Hardly less striking are DS Pug and
P. coronata:
Several micros are in the uncertain category and help would be welcome in their identification:
1 2
3 4
Suggestions are: 1.
Physita roborella; 2. a species of
Dichrorampha, possibly
D. montanana; 3.4. a species of
Epinotia, possibly
E. signatana.
Alternative thought for 3 & 4:
Eucosma cana
Most puzzling of all is this very small, pale, triangular moth which I took to be a Pyralid, but cannot find any to match it. Small China-mark seems to be similar in size and shape but according to the book illustrations it has very distinctively-patterned hindwings. Those of my moth appear to be uniformly grey:
HELP!
Your puzzle moth at the end is a marsh oblique-barred Chris, a tiny noctuid.
ReplyDeleteThank you for that, Ian, I thought there might be an easy solution, went through the macro book as well but missed that one. It's easily overlooked in the wild and in the books! A new one for me.
ReplyDeleteNo problem Chris - I`ve taken loads of `wrong turnings` on the i/d front, missing something obvious and then pondering for ages over incorrect options.
ReplyDeleteThat species is one (like oak nycteoline, the `joking tort`) put on this planet to confuse us. It`s certainly easily missed in the books - who would expect something small like that amongst the big noctuids!
George had Marsh Oblique-barred this week (image in his blog on the Glamorgan site, Thursday,) stronger markings than mine but I might well have noticed the similarity if you hadn't already put me on the right path, Ian.
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