Thursday 14 May 2015

Micro puzzles

I also took advantage of the sun yesterday evening, and took my net to the field behind our house. Five micros, and several question marks... help / confirmation welcome (with apologies for the quality of the photos):
FW: 6mm. Too big for a Micropterix (and the hairstyle is wrong)

Aspilapteryx tringipennella

FW: 5mm. My first thought was Borkhausenia fuscescens, but the pattern doesn't seem right

Gracillaria syringella

FW 9mm: From the length of the antennae I presume Nematopogon swammerdamella, but I can't see a "reticulated" pattern.
Thanks
Simon

8 comments:

  1. Have you kept them Simon? I'm visiting next month sometime and will no doubt pop in to see Ina and Tony. I can pick them up then. Meanwhile your number 3 looks a bit Choreutid-like and your wingspan for the Nematopogon at 19mm (9+9+1 for the body) and timing makes it almost certainly swammerdamella.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The first one looks like Glyphipterix fuscoviridella, which is abundant in grasslands with Field Wood-rush at the moment.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The first one is probably G. fuscoviridella as George says, I have put one in the freezer myself to comfirm it.
    Second, forth and fifth look good.
    Is the third one some sort of Tortrix? It looks flat on the photo but may have settled out more Tortrix shaped maybe? I am looking at the white marks on the costa.
    As Peter says if you still have them we can sort them for you.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks everybody! I still have 1 (although G. fuscoviridella looks good), 3 and 5.
    Number 3 is certainly flat in a tortrix-like way.
    Simon

    ReplyDelete
  5. The palps on No 3 make it look Agonopterix-ish.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Would you consider purpurea? It's about the right size.
    Simon

    ReplyDelete
  7. It could be that if the size is right, but it looks worn and I'm sure Peter or Ina would want to see the specimen. George

    ReplyDelete
  8. I have the moths now, thanks.
    The Agonopterix is small, maybe a smidge over 5mm w/l, but as it's worn purpurea looks possible. We will know in time.

    ReplyDelete

Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.