British Lepidoptera

March 2025

7/3/2025

The RES list has now been reconciled correcting several changes that had been overlooked with the publication of the 2nd edition of the checklist. This included the splitting of Ling Pug as a separate species.

1796 Species presented

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February 2025

17/2/2025

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The British Lepidoptera Checklist has been updated with the 1st amendment to the 2nd Edition of the RES Checklist and is available in the Home group of this website.

Male genital images pages have been added for families 69 to 74.

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December 2024

3/12/2024

1 Comment

Luperina page revised
Parornix page revised
Hoplodrina page drafted but awaiting fresh material

I have spent several years studying the genitalia of Lepidoptera in order to try to understand the structures present.

The work has has expanded in scope and to some extent become unwieldy, so I have decided to publish my work to date as a series of essays, lest old-age overtakes me prior to completion of my work. I plan to publish chapters here (Anatomy / Male Genitalia) as they come close to a final draft.

Mompha bradleyi added (from genital determination service - First for Durham)

40.007 Mompha bradleyi; Stockton-on-Tees; 09/10/2024

1795 Species presented

1 Comment

November 2024

6/11/2024

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Nemapogon identification completely revised
Scrobipalpa identification completely revised

37.008 Coleophora adjectella; Foulness, 19/07/2024

45.002 Agdistis meridionalis; Portland; 30/09/2024

49.131 Cochylidia heydeniana; Heydon; 30/07/2024

5 species have been added to the site this months; 3 identified/confirmed by dissections from trapping sessions at Haydon and Foulness in July and August and 2 from two nights on Portland at the end of September

37.085 Coleophora squamosella; Heydon; 13/08/2024

73.229 Trigonophora flammea (Flame Brocade); Portland; 30/09/2024

1794 Species presented

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October 2024

29/10/2024

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3 weeks of trapping on St Mary's has produced just one new species for the site: the 2nd British record of Nycteola degenerana (Sallow Nycteoline).

In common with a number of other commentators, I have concluded that Noctua tertia (Wilsons Yellow Underwing) is not a valid taxon. The evidence for it always looked questionable, the proposed genital differences were not reproducible and I have seen comment (but not evidence) that DNA studies have assigned all specimens with a Wilson's morphology to N.janthina. I have left the N.tertia page on the site for information but have removed it from the species count.

1789 species presented

74.0093 Nycteola degenerana (Sallow Nycteoline); 18/10/2024; St Mary's, IOS

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September 2024

10/9/2024

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A Bucculatrix taken on an Essex Moth Group night at Fingringhoe NR added Bucculatrix ulmifoliae and trapping at my regular site on Foulness I found 2 miniscule stilts - Leucospilapteryx omissella.

14.011 Bucculatrix ulmifoliae; Fingringhoe; 01/08/2024

15.021 Leucospilapteryx omissella; Foulness; 17/08/2024

In 2 weeks of trapping in the Scottish Highlands (3 nights in the beautiful Caledonian pine forest at Anagach Woods, near Grantown-on-Spey in the Cairngorms NP, 3 nights in our self-catering accommodation in nearby Cromdale and 7 nights at Rhue, near Ullapool in NW Scotland), I found 3 species new for this website. 2 of these were amongst my targets at the Anagach Woods: Exaeretia ciniflonella 1 on 24th August and Xylena solidaginis (Golden-rod Brindle) 12 on 24th and 8 on 26th August. The other was a surprise - Blastobasis vittata at Rhue, 1 on 6th and 7th September.

41.004 Blastobasis vittata; Rhue; 06/09/2024

32.005 Exaeretia ciniflonella; Anagach Woods, 24/08/2024

73.207 Xylena solidaginis (Goldenrod Brindle); Anagach Woods; 24/08/2024

My last visit to Heydon for this year was rewarded with a surprise - Euchromius ocellea

63.076 Euchromius ocellea; Heydon; 19/09/2024

The genital determination service has added 3 species, two of which are firsts for Essex: Oegoconia novimundi and Neofriseria singula

04.075 Etainia louisella; Dagenham; 31/08/2024 (image and specimen supplied by Bill Crooks)

1789 species presented

35.088 Neofriseria singula; Fingringhoe; 01/08/2024 (image and specimen supplied by Daniel Blyton)

27.0021 Oegoconia novimundi; Dagenham; 01/09/2024 (image and specimen supplied by Bill Crooks)

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August 2024

9/8/2024

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Dissections from my visit to Heydon on 9th July have confirmed Metzneria aprilella and, more unexpectedly, added Sorhagenia lophyrella (having had S.rhamniella on my June visit)

35.059 Metzneria aprilella; Heydon 09/07/2024

48.0071 Choreutis nemorana; Westcliff-on-sea; 26/07/2024

A further visit to Heydon on 30th July about 25 Uncinus obductella came to light - the chalk pit being richly endowed with marjoram.

28.027 Aplota palpellus; New Forest; 05/08/2023

45.029 Buckleria paludum; New Forest; 05/08/2024

I have also had another go at sorting out the Epinotia brunnichana/solandriana problem.

1780 species presented

34.013 Sorhagenia lophyrella; Heydon; 09/07/2024

From my garden in Westcliff-on-sea dissection has added Coleophora alnifoliae from 17th July, and on 26th July Choreutis nemorana (Fig-leaf Skeletonizer) came to a light trap - on the same day as moth emerged from a pupa I had collected.

37.010 Coleophora alnifoliae; Westcliff-on-sea, 17/07/2024

62.013 Uncinus obductella; Heydon; 30/07/2024

A one night visit to the New Forest was successful in finding 2 target species - Sundew Plume and Bordered Grey, along with a bonus - Aplota palpellus

70.262 Selidosema brunnearia (Bordered Grey); New Forest; 05/08/2024

Dissection of specimens sent by others has added Prays citri (sent by Dan Blyton). This is currently not on the main RES list - there being (in my opinion) considerable inconsistency about the way adventive species are handled by the keepers of the list.

22.0041 Prays citri; Earls Colne; 16/07/2024

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July 2024

5/7/2024

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Dissections from trapping sessions in June have added 37.006 Coleophora gryphipennella from Heydon chalk pit (supposedly common but seldom seen as an adult) and 04.093 Ectoedemia agrimoniae from Foulness - the 2nd Essex record of this species (the first was in 1986).
A further visit to Heydon on 9th July added 38.007 Elachista subocellea. And a visit to Hazeleigh woods with Simon Wood has added 49.085 Acleris kochiella and 74.001 Meganola strigula (Small Black Arches).
And the genital determination service has resulted in the addition of 49.042 Neosphaleroptera nubilana.

38.007 Elachista subocellea; Heydon; 09/07/2024

49.085 Acleris kochiella; Hazeleigh; 17/07/2024

49.042 Neosphaleroptera nubilana; Blakes Wood; 24/06/2024 (image provided by Graham Ekins)

04.093 Ectoedemia agrimoniae; Foulness; 29/06/2024

37.006 Coleophora gryphipennella; Heydon; 26/06/2024

74.001 Meganola strigula (Small Black Arches); Hazeleigh; 17/07/2024

1771 species presented

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June 2024

8/6/2024

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Two weeks of trapping on St Mary's and a subsequent week in north Cornwall produced only one new species - Brevicornutia pallidana - and that was found by searching sheeps-bit at dusk. Whilst there I received a specimen of Crombrugghia laetus, that was trapped by Richard Wall in October 2023, to confirm the ID.

52.004 Parenthrene tabaniformis (Dusky Clearwing); Westcliff-on-sea; 25/06/2024

62.018 Sciota rhenella; Foulness; 29/06/2024

49.140 Brevicornutia pallidana; St Mary's, IOS; 07/06/2024

45.026 Crombrugghia laetus; St Mary's, IOS; 15/10/2023

Trapping clearwings in my garden in Westcliff-on-sea I was fortunate enough to get Dusky Clearwing. And in an actinic heath trap set amongst poplars on Foulness I found 3 specimens of Sciota rhenella - FIRST FOR ESSEX - and presumably now breeding in Essex following their colonisation of Kent in the past couple of years.

1765 species presented

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May 2024

23/5/2024

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An overnight visit to Bringsty Common on our way north to Cumbria targeting Silver Cloud was successful. It was the first moth I saw on retrieving the traps in the morning and I ended up with 18 - all males as far as I could tell.
While in Cumbria I did two trapping sessions at Cliburn Moss. A Stigmella species which I identified as S.myrtilella is new for the website, but review of 4 previous specimens identified as S.salicis from the same trapping site has resulted in their re-identification as S.myrtillella - although the main reason for re-identification is the abundance of bilberry at Cliburn. Further work is to be done on assessing the genital difference between these species and looking for larval mines.

1761 species presented