Saturday 26 January 2019

Happy New Mothing!

And so it begins!


Last year was fantastic with nearly 13000 records between the two of us with 692 species recorded in our gardens and on field trips.

As always, January has been slow to get going as far as adults go; Winter Moths, the occasional Light Brown Apple Moth and a few Early Moths scattered around the monitored sites.  The most surprising find of the year so far was a lovely Pale Pinion found by one of my 20watt Wemlite garden traps on 6th January.  It is a hibernating species but can be found in milder weather.

Pale Pinion - Lithophane socia


A much smaller hibernating moth at home came in the form of a Mompha subbistrigella which turned up in my office on 23rd January.
Mompha subbistrigella


Lastly, a Psychoides filicivora emerged from a piece of Harts Tongue fern which I brought in a few weeks ago
 Psychoides filicivora


For the next couple of days I am visiting relatives in Surrey.  Of course, I have brought my trap with me for a rare opportunity to trap near woodland.  So far I have a Pale Brindled Beauty and a Spring Usher

 Pale Brindled Beauty- Phigalia pilosaria


Spring Usher - Agriopis leucophaearia


The next week or so look much colder again so I expect another dearth of moths.  For the time being it is back to searching for mines and early stages until the weather warms up again.  
Species List so far in 2019. 22 species recorded so far.  Here's a quick summary:

Taxon
Vernacular
Records
Individuals
Coptotriche marginea
a moth
1
2
Luffia ferchaultella
a moth
2
8
Bucculatrix thoracella
a moth
1
10
Phyllonorycter messaniella
a moth
3
2
Phyllonorycter leucographella
Firethorn Leaf Miner
5
292
Phyllonorycter maestingella
a moth
1
2
Stigmella tityrella
a moth
1
3
Stigmella aurella
a moth
6
21
Ectoedemia septembrella
a moth
1
2
Ectoedemia heringella
a moth
3
0
Mompha subbistrigella
a moth
1
1
Emmelina monodactyla
Common Plume
1
2
Epiphyas postvittana
Light Brown Apple Moth
3
4
Enarmonia formosana
Cherry Bark Tortrix
1
1
Operophtera brumata
Winter Moth
11
68
Phigalia pilosaria
Pale Brindled Beauty
1
1
Erannis defoliaria
Mottled Umber
3
3
Theria primaria
Early Moth
2
2
Eilema lurideola
Common Footman
1
1
Phlogophora meticulosa
Angle Shades
2
2
Lithophane socia
Pale Pinion
1
1
Noctua pronuba
Large Yellow Underwing
2
2



Roll on Spring!








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