British Lepidoptera

April 2022

3/4/2022

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An early spring trip to Scotland was successful in finding most of our target species

49.308 Rhyacionia logaea; Dunalastair; 03/04/2022

70.249 Lycia lapponaria (Rannoch Brindled Beauty); Struan; 01/04/2022

73.066 Brachionycha nubeculosa (Rannoch Sprawler); Dunalastair; 01/04/2022

70.250 Lycia zonaria (Belted Beauty); Islay; 13/04/2022

1664 Species presented

Also Mick Scott (Longstones, St Marys, IOS) gave me a moth to identify, which turns out to be a first for Britain. Full details of this will appear in an article in Atropos in due course. I have not added it to this site yet. The correct genus that this species belongs in is subject to debate; hopefully we will resolve this before publication.

Agrochola / Spudaea / Xestia ruticilla; St Marys; 26/03/2022 - FIRST FOR BRITAIN

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January - March 2022

26/12/2021

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A couple of years ago I started a revision of the Family: Coleophoridae
This work has now been completed as far as I can currently take it - but it will be updated as new material becomes available.
The revision has resulted in two species being removed.
37.008 Coleophora adjectella removed - identification uncertain
37.084 Coleophora sternipennella removed - misidentification
The revised work is published on a separate website dedicated to this family: British Coleophora
All the (completely revised) Coleophora keys and ID features have been moved to the new site.
The family front page and most of the images previously available on the British Lepidoptera site remain here.

Also in 2020 I made an appeal for donations in order to upgrade the British Lepidoptera site to provide Weebly's search box. This appeal met with very limited success - probably sufficient to cover the upgrade costs for 6 months only. I do not want to clutter the site with commercial sponsors logos and I would like to keep the site open to all rather than making it subscription only. So I am making another appeal for private sponsors - if this site has helped you with your identifications please make a small donation.

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December 2021

24/12/2021

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While I was on St Marys in October Mick Scott gave me some material to gen. det. Amongst this material I found 2 species not previously presented on this site.
Scarce Plume (S.inopinata) may be only the 8th record for UK and first for IOS.

35.116 Scrobipalpa obsoletella; St Marys, Isles of Scilly; Date?

45.015 Stenoptilia inopinata; St Marys, Isles of Scilly; 13/11/2020

1662 species presented

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November 2021

14/11/2021

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October was disappointing!

I have taken the opportunity of a new ex-Syncopacma species to follow the 2019 revision to the RES checklist and synonymise Syncopacma with Aproaerema.
I think I have discovered a more reliable means of distinguishing ♀ Grey and Dark Dagger and have written a page on identification of these superficially identical species.
1660 species presented.

09.005 Lampronia flavimitrella; Pound Wood; 02/06/2021 (FIRST FOR ESSEX)

04/099 Ectoedemia occultella; Pound Wood; 02/06/2021

35.002 Aproaerema cinctella; Westcliff-on-sea; 05/06/2021 (SECOND FOR ESSEX)

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September 2021

2/9/2021

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8 Species added this month. A warm spell at the start of the month had several Nepticulids coming to light; dissection of specimens from our June Scotland trip confirmed 3 new species; and on return from a completely unsuccessful September Scotland trip (as far as moths and birds were concerned, though I did bag 6 Munros and had a generally pleasant holiday in the Highlands) my wife found a Dark Marbled Tabby flying around the house. 1657 species presented.

04.033 Stigmella carpinella; Pound Wood; 09/09/2021

04.074 Ectoedemia (Etainia) sericopeza; Westcliff-on-sea; 07/09/2021

17.009 Ypsolopha sylvella; Pound Wood; 09/09/2021

49.152 Apotomis sororculana; Loch Rannoch; 12/06/2021

04.078 Ectoedemia (Fomoria) septembrella; Pound Wood; 09/09/2021

28.007 Denisia subaquilea; Loch Naver; 23/06/2021

49.153 Apotomis sauciana: Sgor Gaibhre; 18/06/2021

63.046 Duponchelia fovealis; Westcliff-on-sea; 27/09/2021

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August 2021

29/8/2021

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72.047 Eilema caniola (Hoary Footman); Foulness; 14/08/2021

Just one species added this month

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July 2021

6/7/2021

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21.005 Leucoptera spartifoliella; Anagach Woods; 01/07/2021

53.002 Heterogenea asella (Triangle); Stour Wood; 14/07/2021

72.054 Herminia tarsicrinalis (Shaded Fan-foot); Stour Wood; 08/07/2021

45.028 Capperia britanniodactylus; Stour Wood; 08/07/2021

54.006 Zygaena exulans (Scotch Burnet); Morrone; 28/06/2021

Trapping in Scotland for 3 weeks in June were hampered by cool nights and we found little in the way of day-flying micros - but on a fine day on Morrone (Braemar) Alison and I found 161 Scotch Burnet between 500m and 700m (lower than they are supposed to be) - thus "completing" the Zygaenidae.

3 Sessions at Stour Wood, Essex in early June and early July, 2 of them with Ben, produced some nice scarcities, including Triangle and Shaded Fan-foot, but we failed to find the Olive Crescent we were targeting - again probably because the nights were cool.

1648 species presented

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