222 Fissipunctia ypsilon (Dingy Shears)

73.222 Apterogenum ypsilon (Dingy Shears)

fw: 15-19mm (Waring & Townsend), ws: 32-42mm (MBGBI10); Jun-Aug; willows/sallows (Salix spp), poplars (Populus spp); local in damp woodland, marsh and fen throughout GB but mainly in S&E.England.
Formerly placed in Subfamily: Amphipyrinae
Synonym: Enargia ypsilon (MBGBI10), Parastichtis ypsilon (Waring & Townsend)

Fissipunctia ypsilon (Dingy Shears) §1 male

ID: Forewing ground colour often grey to greyish-brown but may be ochreous, reddish-brown or blackish; subterminal line pale, usually edged proximally by 2 or more black wedges; other crosslines inconspicuous; oval and kidney marks vary in shape and prominence but show incomplete narrow black margins; dart mark often indicated by a V-shaped black mark, of variable prominence, dorsal to oval.
Several species are similar: Dicestra trifolii (Nutmeg) has a distinct 'W' in the subterminal line and hairy eyes; Apamea unanimis (Small Clouded Brindle) has a white-edge to the kidney mark and a conspicuous black basal streak near the dorsum; Mesapamea species (Common/Lesser Common Rustic) average smaller (fw: 12-16mm) and have a more distinctly crenulate fringe.

Variation
Dissection
Male genitalia
Female genitalia

§1 Brundall, Norfolk; 13/06/2014; male; fw 16.6mm
§2 Cranwich Heath, Norfolk; 05/07/2018; male; fw 13.8mm
§3 Surlingham, Norfolk; 07/07/2018; male; fw 14.2mm
§4 Dungeness, Kent; 12/07/2018; female; fw 15.2mm
§5 Foulness, Essex; 20/06/2020
All images © Chris Lewis