We set our garden trap last night for the last session of the Winter Moth Scheme for 2014 and felt the odds were stacked heavily against us - continuous rain, cold night, possible snow. Last Friday, for example, we only caught 1 Winter Moth, while last night we were proved wrong - 51 Winter Moths.
Carolyn & Evan
Saturday 27 December 2014
Sunday 14 December 2014
Mottled umbers
We put out one trap last night, by the centre at RSPB Ynys-hir, hoping for our first Scarce umber of the Autumn. No luck though just 9 Mottled umber and 1 December moth, but we did get to see the Flamingo later.
Tony & Ina
Tony & Ina
Tuesday 2 December 2014
Oleander hawkmoth
This is the first known record of Oleander hawkmoth in VC46. It was found between Cardigan and Llechryd in a polytunnel on the 21st October, by Clive Wychwood. His photo shows that the moth was a bit worn but it could have travelled some distance to get to Ceredigion. Many thanks to Clive for sending in the record and the photograph.
Tony
Tony
Latest Mothy Mutterings
http://www.mothscount.org/article/56/53/mothy_mutterings_november_2014.html
Good Morning All.
The latest Newsletter from BC Mothscount can be found by clicking on the link above. Opens as a PDF.
Some reports on recent exhibitions, meeting, action plans etc., and a piece about the Belted Beauty, which being an ex Lancastrian I found interesting.
Ina
Good Morning All.
The latest Newsletter from BC Mothscount can be found by clicking on the link above. Opens as a PDF.
Some reports on recent exhibitions, meeting, action plans etc., and a piece about the Belted Beauty, which being an ex Lancastrian I found interesting.
Ina
Saturday 29 November 2014
Ynys-hir woodland
A couple of actinic traps in mixed woodland last night gave us 31 moths of 8 species. The majority (20) were December moths, 3 Mottled umber, Winter moth, Northern winter moth, Yellow-line quaker, Red-green carpet, Chestnut, and November moth agg. (female).
Tony & Ina
Mottled umber |
Mottled umbers |
Northern winter moth |
Saturday 15 November 2014
Feathered Thorn & Chestnut
That's all folks!!
At least I won the bet, Tony said there would not be a moth in the trap this morning.
Ina
At least I won the bet, Tony said there would not be a moth in the trap this morning.
Ina
Monday 10 November 2014
November moths
33 November moths (aggs) to be precise.
Two traps at Ynis-hir last night, the actinic capturing more moths of more species than the mv light. They were in slightly different habitats, but I still have a theory that actinic is better at this time of year.
Mottled Umber, Feathered Thorn, Red-green Carpet, Chestnut, Green-brindled Crescent, December, one each of Grey Shoulder-knot and Satellite and a couple of micro species, Rusty-dot Pearls and Ypsolopha ustella.
Not the best photos, sorry. Out Feathered Thorns were the usual colour Sarah.
Ina
Two traps at Ynis-hir last night, the actinic capturing more moths of more species than the mv light. They were in slightly different habitats, but I still have a theory that actinic is better at this time of year.
Mottled Umber, Feathered Thorn, Red-green Carpet, Chestnut, Green-brindled Crescent, December, one each of Grey Shoulder-knot and Satellite and a couple of micro species, Rusty-dot Pearls and Ypsolopha ustella.
December & Satellite |
Grey Shoulder-knot |
Ina
Thursday 6 November 2014
Stigmella aurella
The mines of this little moth should be almost everywhere. Mostly on Bramble, but also on Geum (Avens),
Fragaria (Wild Strawberry) and Agrimonia (Agrimony).
You can see by the red (2km) squares where they have been
recorded.
I think it’s a little like sparrows in the birding world...
they get overlooked.
You can see a photo of the mine on the British Leafmines web site. http://www.leafmines.co.uk/html/Lepidoptera/S.aurella.htm
Friday 31 October 2014
October 30th....warm but windy
A group shot of last night's moths.
The Mervs obviously thought they were too posh to join the others!
Only one missing, a LtB.A. that had a prior engagement...inside a Blue tit I believe.
Ina
The Mervs obviously thought they were too posh to join the others!
Only one missing, a LtB.A. that had a prior engagement...inside a Blue tit I believe.
Ina
Thursday 30 October 2014
Another Merv view
Only one photo I'm afraid, but last night's moths included 4 Merveille all with black band Sarah!
19 Epirrita aggs, Spruce Carpet, Grey Pine Carpet, 1 extremely worn but still recognisable Common Marbled Carpet, Red-Green Carpet, Red Sword-grass, Chestnut, Yellow-line Quaker and Green-brindled Crescent. The warm Southerlies over the next couple of nights may well be more productive.
19 Epirrita aggs, Spruce Carpet, Grey Pine Carpet, 1 extremely worn but still recognisable Common Marbled Carpet, Red-Green Carpet, Red Sword-grass, Chestnut, Yellow-line Quaker and Green-brindled Crescent. The warm Southerlies over the next couple of nights may well be more productive.
Sunday 26 October 2014
December Moth
Saturday 25 October 2014
Sunday 19 October 2014
.... and Two Micros
We also caught these two micros. The first I believe is Acleris sparsana. The second I think is one of the family Blastobasidae - probably Blastobasis lacticolella. Under the microscope we could see the strongly upcurved labial palps, the well developed tongue and the base of the antenna (scape) with a scaly tuft (pecten) but the antennae were quite short (well under the stated 2/3 length of the forewing). Further advice would be appreciated.
Carolyn
Carolyn
Blastobasis lacticolella (FL 9mm) |
Top View |
More Autumn Moths....
A balmy night from three traps -two woodland + one garden - produced thirteen macro species. These included Feathered Thorn, Satellite, two variations of November Moth (Epirrita sp), Black Rustic, Flounced Chestnut and Merveille du Jour.
Carolyn & Evan
Carolyn & Evan
Feathered Thorn |
Satellite |
November Moth 1 |
November Moth 2 |
Friday 17 October 2014
Changes to the blog
You may have noticed that we have changed the layout of the blog.
Details about contacting the group or the county recorders can be obtained by clicking on the "Contact us" button.
Information and guidance on how to create and submit moth records can be obtained by clicking on the "Submitting records" button.
Details about contacting the group or the county recorders can be obtained by clicking on the "Contact us" button.
Information and guidance on how to create and submit moth records can be obtained by clicking on the "Submitting records" button.
Coed Y Bont moths
There were hundreds of other creatures from midges to blue bottles.
Recently the expert Lichenologist Ray Woods had a look around and found some rare species so next year Ina we'll have to get to grips with the micros!
Saturday 11 October 2014
Big micros, leaf mines, and Mompha langiella
I put a light out for a couple of hours yesterday evening and was pleasantly surprised at the number of moths around in my garden, inc. Green-brindled Crescent, Blair's Shoulder Knot, Pale Mottled Willow, and my largest ever Blastobasis lacticolella at over 12mm long:
Found some leaf mines along Plas Crug in Aberystwyth this morning - i think the first one is Stigmella microtheriella (on Hazel), not sure about the second (on Elm i think):
and I now know not to look for moths in Holly - the leaf mine I found belongs to a fly.
Finally, what I believe is Mompha langiella landed on the window this afternoon; Ina's list suggests that it is rarely recorded in the county:
Simon
Found some leaf mines along Plas Crug in Aberystwyth this morning - i think the first one is Stigmella microtheriella (on Hazel), not sure about the second (on Elm i think):
and I now know not to look for moths in Holly - the leaf mine I found belongs to a fly.
Finally, what I believe is Mompha langiella landed on the window this afternoon; Ina's list suggests that it is rarely recorded in the county:
Simon
....and Two Migrants
Mixed Trapping Session
From our valley this morning we had our first Satellite and Chestnuts and from a certain garden in Aberystwyth the catch included Blair's Shoulder-knot, two colour forms of Lunar Underwing, Feathered Ranunculus and Yellow-line Quaker.
Carolyn & Evan
Carolyn & Evan
Blair's Shoulder-knot |
Lunar Underwing - dark form |
Lunar Underwing - chestnut form |
Yellow-line Quaker |
Chestnuts....not 'roasting on an open fire'
Two traps at Ynys-hir last night, the Actinic doing slightly better than the MV light for both numbers and species.
The first Chestnuts we have seen this season and first Large Wainscots too.
Others, in no particular order... CMCarpet, Red-green C, Spruce C, Grey Pine C, Pine C. Red-line Quaker, Blk Rustic, Green-brindled Cres, Lt Emerald, Marveille du Jour.
Quality of photos is not too great, sorry!
Ina & Tony
The first Chestnuts we have seen this season and first Large Wainscots too.
Others, in no particular order... CMCarpet, Red-green C, Spruce C, Grey Pine C, Pine C. Red-line Quaker, Blk Rustic, Green-brindled Cres, Lt Emerald, Marveille du Jour.
Chestnut |
Large Wainscot |
Green-brindled Crescent |
Ina & Tony
Thursday 9 October 2014
Distribution Map for the Delicate
Following Liz's capture of a Delicate while on the 'Patricia' I had a look to see what Delicates had been caught here in Ceredigion.
The last sightings were in 2006 & 2008 at Ynyshir, IBERS (Welsh Plant Breeding Station) and Bont Goch respectively.
Evan
The last sightings were in 2006 & 2008 at Ynyshir, IBERS (Welsh Plant Breeding Station) and Bont Goch respectively.
Evan
Wednesday 8 October 2014
Intercepted at sea
You can imagine that passengers and crew were either under-whelmed or bemused by this event although the galley slave did volunteer the fact that there had been an owl on board the previous week; that might have elicited more interest I suppose.
Thursday 2 October 2014
Bryotrophas
After Ina's request, here's an attempt at showing you the various parts of the male genitalia, used for identifying species. I've annotated a moth identified today as Bryotropha similis, which is another county first for Ceredigion, along with politella the other day. Now politella is a much more exotic looking moth (I refer to its private parts), but see if you can find the equivalent parts from the notes and names on similis. Similis was found at Ynys-hir.
Key: Aedeagus is the phallus of the male
Thorn shield: this is one of the diagnostics and is a number of spikes comprising what is termed a thorn-shield. In similis it is supposed to be up to 100, although here it is over 100.
Gnathos: This supports the anal tube and its shape is another diagnostic
Sacculus: this forms the base of the valvae, which in themselves are 2 wing-like structures.
Vinculum: In Bryotrohas these often have a knee-cap shape and the lack of one in similis is another identifying feature
So to id it as similis, I counted the number of spikes in the thorn-shield, looked at the shape of the gnathos - in this case sharply bent and wider after the bend tapering to a point, the lack of a knee on the vinculum and finally the wing pattern of the adult moth. I used the key in MBGBI volume 4(2) plus an additional publication called The Genus Bryotropha in the Western Palearctic by Karsholt & Rutten.
The first image shows the parts with names, the second is the recent politella of Liz and the third, to help, is another politella from another county but in a shape that is similar to the similis, so it might be easier to relate them all.
Why are some backgrounds blue and others fawn? I choose what to make the background in the complex process of photographing microscopic parts and in some cases I feel that pale blue accentuates the features and in others fawn does the same. Rarely I will use a pale yellow.
Key: Aedeagus is the phallus of the male
Thorn shield: this is one of the diagnostics and is a number of spikes comprising what is termed a thorn-shield. In similis it is supposed to be up to 100, although here it is over 100.
Gnathos: This supports the anal tube and its shape is another diagnostic
Sacculus: this forms the base of the valvae, which in themselves are 2 wing-like structures.
Vinculum: In Bryotrohas these often have a knee-cap shape and the lack of one in similis is another identifying feature
So to id it as similis, I counted the number of spikes in the thorn-shield, looked at the shape of the gnathos - in this case sharply bent and wider after the bend tapering to a point, the lack of a knee on the vinculum and finally the wing pattern of the adult moth. I used the key in MBGBI volume 4(2) plus an additional publication called The Genus Bryotropha in the Western Palearctic by Karsholt & Rutten.
The first image shows the parts with names, the second is the recent politella of Liz and the third, to help, is another politella from another county but in a shape that is similar to the similis, so it might be easier to relate them all.
Why are some backgrounds blue and others fawn? I choose what to make the background in the complex process of photographing microscopic parts and in some cases I feel that pale blue accentuates the features and in others fawn does the same. Rarely I will use a pale yellow.
Bryotropha similis Ynys-hir - Ina Smith Bryotropa politella - Liz Snell Bryotropha politella - from Bucks with aedeagus separated
Peter Hall
|
Wednesday 1 October 2014
Tuesday 30 September 2014
Pine carpet and others
The catches in the garden seem to have been on the poor side this year and we were wondering if it was related to the new street lights (or the fact that the leader of the bat group has recently moved in). As a small experiment we ran a trap in the garden and one in a nearby, unmaintained meadow out of reach of the street lights. Result was garden 14 moths of 11 species, meadow 23 moths of 8 species. Only Brimstone, Dusky thorn, and Spruce carpet occurred in both traps. Highlight was the Merveille du jour (see earlier post) with Angle shades the only possible migrant. There was also a pine carpet to add to my recent carpet moths.
Tony & Ina
Archips podana (F) Large fruit-tree tortrix |
Pine carpet |
In need of a haircut?
I'm currently doing some identification work on micros for a number of the group. Of course, after Dave G's micro course, I'm expecting even more in the future. The varying shapes I encounter when dissecting never cease to amaze me. Some are really plain, but others, like the attached, actually very pretty. Liz is lucky enough to be the first to encounter this species in Ceredigion, but as micros are very under-recorded, the opportunity for fame is just outside your door if you look.
This group of moths are rather plain and dull, but internally rather nice, with politella being the smartest of them all. If you have any micro-moths that need a name, contact Ina at first and from there they make their way over to me. Peter Hall
Bryotropha politella |
Merveille du Jour
Sunday 28 September 2014
Autumnal carpets
Last night we ran two Heath traps in mixed woodland at Ynys-hir. We had 80 moths of 26 species. On the carpet front we had Spruce, Grey pine, Red-green, Autumn green, Common marbled, and Green. Also present were Brimstone, Light emerald, Pink-barred sallow, Sallow, Autumnal rustic, Snout, Oak hook-tip, Green-brindled crescent and a Willow beauty. In the micros were Twenty plume, Acleris Rhombana and emargana, Ypsolopha ustella and parenthesella.
Just to compare habitats we also put a trap in the garden and got 16 moths of 11 species. Ones we did not have in the woodland were Canary-shouldered thorn, Black rustic, Light brown apple moth, and Eudonia angustea.
Tony & Ina
Acleris rhombana |
Acleris emargana |
Grey pine carpet |
Spruce carpet |
Just to compare habitats we also put a trap in the garden and got 16 moths of 11 species. Ones we did not have in the woodland were Canary-shouldered thorn, Black rustic, Light brown apple moth, and Eudonia angustea.
Eudonia angustea |
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