49.375 Pammene regiana (Regal Piercer)
ws: 13-16mm; May-Jul; sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus); common throughout GB
Pammene regiana §4 female
ID: Similar to P.trauniana. Distinguishing features mentioned in the literature and visible on web images are as follows, features for P.regiana given first: 1) Yellow costal strigulae in the distal half of the forewing narrower than or similar width to the dark marks between them vs broader than the dark marks between them. 2) Distal end of yellow dorsal blotch with an angle between its distal and costal margins vs more evenly rounded. 3) Distal margin of yellow costal blotch reaches dorsum further from tornus vs closer to tornus (it is difficult to provide an absolute measure for this relative distinction because of the difficulty in assigning an absolute location for the tornus, but judging from web images the length of dorsum between the tornus and the point at which the distal edge of the dorsal blotch cuts the dorsum in P.regiana is ~1.5-2x that in P.trauniana). 4) A patch of grey-black scales along vein 1c present in the male vs absent.
Yellow colours fade to creamy with age in both species.
Yellow colours fade to creamy with age in both species.
§1 Cyffdy Farm, Gwynedd; 20/06/2010; female; fw 7.1mm
§2 St Lawrence, Isle of Wight; 31/05/2014; male; fw 6.9mm
§3 Arne, Dorset; 06/07/2016; female; fw 6.6mm; to light
§4 Foulness, Essex; 26/05/2024; female
All images © Chris Lewis
§2 St Lawrence, Isle of Wight; 31/05/2014; male; fw 6.9mm
§3 Arne, Dorset; 06/07/2016; female; fw 6.6mm; to light
§4 Foulness, Essex; 26/05/2024; female
All images © Chris Lewis
Page published 04/02/2013 (§1) | §2 added 16/01/2015 | §3 added 30/11/2016 | §4 added and text rewritten 26/05/2024
