At first glance it looked very distinctive but it took a while to narrow it down to Celypha sp..
Two out of 3 knowledgeable moth identifiers on Twitter said Celypha cespitana. The 3rd thought it was Celypha lacunana which is more common and seems more likely in a garden surrounded by lightly wooded farmland.
I would be interested to hear what others think.
Thanks
Hi Wendy, I don't think it is either, definitely not lacunana and cespitana is cliffs and sand dunes.
ReplyDeleteGiven habitat I would say Orthotaenia undulana. There is a bit of an overlap in size between undulana and cespitana but not much. Do you have a measurement?
Sorry I don't have a measurement. Looking at images of Orthotaenia undulana I am much happier that I can see some similar to my moth whereas I couldn't for the Celypha sp. The habitat fits too. I'll have to hope to catch another and measure it. Thanks Ina
DeleteI agree with Ina
ReplyDeleteHi Ina, Can you explain to me why it's not lacunana? I'm sure that's what I'd have put it down as!
ReplyDeleteI am finding this difficult to put into words but lacunana is smaller and darker on average. I always think it is in need of a wash!
ReplyDeleteIf you look at the dark central crossband from the side there is a pale, finger-like projection going in from front to back. Someone I know says that from the top she can see a square on lacunana but it is not that obvious to me.
The outer third of the wing on undulana is paler and the brown markings more defined. Looks altogether cleaner I would say.
If this doesn't help email me and I will try again.
Thanks - I think I can see that the back end is paler on undulana. What confuses me is that I seem to get plenty of c.lacunana where the lacuna is not complete or broken and those are the confusing ones. Not to mention cespitana and rivulana both of which are possible here!
ReplyDelete