Aglossa pinguinalis (Dark Tabby)

Aglossa pinguinalis (Dark Tabby)

Micro moths can be just as interesting as their notionally larger counterparts. Not long ago, I happened upon an Aphomia sociella (Bee Moth) resting in the garden. This evening, at about 19h00, I noticed a similarly dull brown, but relatively large micro about 20 cm up on the kitchen wall. After the previous encounter, I had the feeling that this might prove to be interesting too. And so it was...

Easily identified, Aglossa pinguinalis (Large Tabby) is a local moth that has declined significantly over the past few decades. Its larvae feed on cereal chaff, hay debris and dry dung in barns, a foodstuff that is common around here. It is also well known for resting in the dark corners of barns and outhouses. 

Aglossa pinguinalis UK distribution (UK Moths)

Aglossa pinguinalis Norfolk distribution (Norfolk Moths)

Marsh Harriers at Sculthorpe Moor

Thanks to a last-minute call from Mike Dawson and kind invitation from Lin Murray of the Hawk and Owl Trust, we had a wonderful evening out at Sculthorpe Moor Community Nature Reserve to watch the Marsh Harrier chicks being tagged and ringed by Phil Littler and John Middleton.

View over Marsh Harrier habitat from the Whitley Hide.

The evening began auspiciously, with a Red Kite soaring over the car park at the visitor centre shortly after we arrived. Together with the other guests we walked down towards the Whitley Hide, passing a feeding station together with a family of Bullfinches (male, female and two juveniles) on the way. Comfortably installed in an extremely well-appointed hide, we soon heard the song of a Cuckoo, which then flew across the meadow in front of us. As the ringers walked out to the nest, the female Marsh Harrier flushed and began to circle high above the nest, calling.

Meanwhile, the monitor showed the four chicks eyeing the approaching ornithologists. It was not long before the boys were holding three bags, each containing a Marsh Harrier chick (the youngest was too small to ring). In a very short time, Phil and John had measured, ringed and tagged all three chicks: two females and a male. They had nevertheless used the opportunity to explain the entire process to us, to tell us how previous tagged birds had fared and to discuss how the data had been used. We also learned how to sex the species, even at this young age, according to talon span.

Phil Littler & John Middleton get to work on the first bird, putting on the ring.

Phil Littler & John Middleton attaching the wing tag.

John Middleton with tagged and ringed Marsh Harrier chick.

I've done my fair share of ringing over the years but this was something else – truly inspirational place and people.

The next generation of Marsh Harriers: tagged, ringed and restored to the nest.

The progress of this nest can be followed on the Hawk and Owl Trust's live webcam. Must get over to Norwich Cathedral to see the Peregrines before they leave...

Norfolk moths: Rockland St. Peter garden, 29 May 2014

Dark Brocade Blepharita adusta, a UK BAP species

After three days of moderate E winds, the prospect of a mild, overcast night with a light E breeze was too much to resist. It was not dark enough to turn on the trap until 21h25, by which time it was still 12.4°C, with the sky masked by white cloud. I took the opportunity of a 02h30 start the next day to stay up and daub some sugar around as well. The sugar itself attracted only slugs and woodlice, and while checking it at regular intervals I trod squarely on a hedgehog! But the trap was abuzz with activity from 22h00 onwards. It was interesting to watch the different moths come in, circle and then disappear again into the dark; very few seems to fall into the trap. At exactly 23h00 pm, we heard something crashing through the pear tree and watched as an Eyed Hawk-moth came in to rest in the shade of long grass near the trap, where it remained until dawn. I turned off the trap at 04h25, when the thermometer showed a mild 10.5°C.

Scorched Wing Plagodis dolabraria

We ended up with 42 species of which 16 were new and 7 new for the year – all this from only 99 moths, which is a pretty good ratio. I was able to identify only two micros; a lovely bright pink and yellow micro that was not obviously illustrated in Lewington almost made me want to learn dissection. The highlight was perhaps BAP species Dark Brocade, which is common and widespread, but rapidly declining. It was lovely to see Scorched Wing (local in Norfolk) and Beautiful Golden Y.

Beautiful Golden Y Autographa pulchrina

There was a first Peppered Moth, last seen with 27 years ago with Mike Majerus!

♂ Peppered Moth Biston betularia

       May Highflyer Hydriomena impluviata

Other new ones were Broken-barred Carpet (these with intact bar), May Highflyer (an alder carr species which should find sufficient habitat in this area), Freyer's Pug, Clouded Border, Pale Prominent, Common Footman, Flame, Ingrailed Clay, Shears, Brown Rustic, Dark Arches and Clouded-bordered Brindle. Of course, Eyed Hawk and
Poplar Hawk-moths are always welcome.

As ever, I am grateful to Andy Mackay for casting his experienced eye over some of the moths I found puzzling and either confirming my identifications or – more usually – setting me straight.

Freyer's Pug Eupithecia intricata

Macro-moths (99 moths of 42 spp.):-

Hepialus lupulinus	Common Swift	3
Timandra comae	Blood-vein	2
Xanthorhoe montanata	Silver-ground Carpet	4
Chloroclysta truncata	Common Marbled Carpet	4
Electrophaes corylata	Broken-barred Carpet	2
Colostygia pectinataria	Green Carpet	1
Hydriomena impluviata	May Highflyer	1
Eupithecia exiguata	Mottled Pug	1
Eupithecia intricata	Freyer's Pug	2
Lomaspilis marginata	Clouded Border	1
Plagodis dolabraria	Scorched Wing	1
Biston betularia	Peppered Moth	1
Hypomecis punctinalis	Pale Oak Beauty	1
Campaea margaritata	Light Emerald	1
Smerinthus ocellata	Eyed Hawk-moth	1
Laothoe populi	Poplar Hawk-moth	1
Pterostoma palpina	Pale Prominent	1
Drymonia dodonaea	Marbled Brown	1
Eilema lurideola	Common Footman	4
Spilosoma lubricipeda	White Ermine	2
Agrotis segetum	Turnip Moth	1
Agrotis exclamationis	Heart and Dart	6
Agrotis puta	Shuttle-shaped Dart	1
Axylia putris	Flame	2
Ochropleura plecta	Flame Shoulder	3
Diarsia mendica	Ingrailed Clay	3
Diarsia rubi	Small Square-spot	1
Xestia c-nigrum	Setaceous Hebrew Character	3
Hada plebeja	Shears	1
Lacanobia oleracea	Bright-line Brown-eye	2
Mythimna pallens	Common Wainscot	1
Blepharita adusta	Dark Brocade	1
Rusina ferruginea	Brown Rustic	2
Apamea monoglypha	Dark Arches	1
Apamea crenata	Clouded-bordered Brindle	2
Apamea sordens	Rustic Shoulder-knot	4
Oligia strigilis agg.	Marbled Minor agg.	10
Charanyca trigrammica	Treble Lines	16
Paradrina clavipalpis	Pale Mottled Willow	1
Diachrysia chrysitis	Burnished Brass	1
Autographa pulchrina	Beautiful Golden Y	1
Abrostola tripartita	Spectacle	1

Micro-moths (6 moths identified, of 2 spp.):-

Evergestis forficalis	Garden Pebble	2
Eurrhypara hortulata	Small Magpie	4

References

Sterling, P., Parsons, M. & Lewington, R. (2012) Field guide to the micro-moths of Great Britain and Ireland. British Wildlife Publishing: Gillingham, Dorset. 416 pp.

Aphomia sociella Bee Moth, the perfect inquiline?

♀ Aphomia sociella Bee Moth

Aphomia sociella is a rather attractive, relatively large micro moth of the Pyralid family. Despite its rather specialised life history (see below), it is fairly common and widespread in this part of the world. This female was found resting low (15 cm up) on a shed wall this evening, above a thicket of Herb Robert Geranium robertianum. The photograph is poor due to low light (handheld ½ sec. shutter speed!) and does not do the moth justice.

Like some other members of the subfamily Galleriinae, the larvae inhabit the nests of bumblebees Bombus and wasps Vespula, typically those that are above ground like the recently-arrived Tree Bumblebee Bombus hypnorum, which is one of the commonest species in our garden. Initially they consume waste materials, debris and old cells, but can eventually graduate to devouring the comb and bee larvae, leaving the nest riddled with silk-lined tunnels.

Since Bee Moth caterpillars mostly feed on nest materials, waste products of the bee and wasp larvae, as well as on dead adults, they are neither parasitic nor necessarily predatory, and so are denominated inquilines (cf. L. inquilinus, Fr. inquilin, Sp. inquilino = lodger) – animals that live as commensals in the nest, burrow or dwelling place of other animals. Bee Moths are not an apicultural pest, since they only rarely infest Honeybee colonies, but they have been introduced into E USA (Opler et al. 2012) where they may have an impact on native North American bumblebees.

Photographs and video of Bee Moths and their bumblebee hosts can be found here.


References

Goater, B. (1986) British Pyralid moths: a guide to their identification. Harley Books, Colchester, Essex. 175 pp.

Opler, P.A., K. Lotts & T. Naberhaus (coordinators) (2012) Bee Moth Aphomia sociella (Linnaeus, 1758). In: Butterflies and Moths of North America. Data set accessed on 28/05/2014 at http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Aphomia-sociella

The Natural History Museum Identification and Advisory Service (n.d.) Bee Moth Aphomia sociella. IAS Sheet #7. The Natural History Museum, London. 2 pp. PDF
 

IUCN formally adopts the use of Red Lists for Ecosystems

Red Data Books were conceived in 1963 by Peter Scott as "a register of threatened wildlife that includes definitions of degrees of threat" (Scott et al. 1987). The first Red List, an abbreviated form of the Red Data Book, was published exactly 50 years ago, and Red Lists of threatened species are now a well-established conservation tool. Today, IUCN formally adopted the categories and criteria for evaluating threatened ecosystems, creating the equivalent Red Lists for Ecosystems. This concept, conceived and pioneered in Venezuela, will now become an internationally-recognised way to assess the conservation status of the ever more threatened spaces that all Earth's species, including ourselves, inhabit. 

The first ever assessment of a country's ecosystems was carried out in Venezuela in 2010 (Rodríguez et al. 2010) and a Red List of American ecosystems, from Alaska to Patagonia, will be published next year. The door is now open for a global list.


References

CEM-IUCN & Provita (2012) IUCN Red List of ecosystems. The Comission on Ecosystem Management (CEM) of International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Provita, Caracas, Venezuela. http://www.iucnredlistofecosystems.org.

Rodríguez, J.P., F. Rojas-Suárez & D. Giraldo Hernández (eds.) (2010) Libro Rojo de los ecosistemas terrestres de Venezuela. Provita, Shell Venezuela & Lenovo (Venezuela): Caracas, Venezuela. 324 pp. PDF.

Scott, P., J.A. Burton & R. Fitter (1987) Red Data Books: the historical background. Pp. 1-6 in: Fitter, R. & M. Fitter (Eds.) The road to extinction. IUCN: Gland, Switzerland.

Norfolk moths: Rockland St. Peter garden, 16 May 2014

Eyed Hawk-moth Smerinthus ocellata

After a warm, sunny day, the sky remained clear – at least until my last look at the trap at 22h00, by which time the temperature was still 14.0°C. The moon was a couple of nights past full and there was little evening activity at the trap. By dawn (04h30), the temperature had only dropped to 10.8°C and there were a dozen or more moths around the trap, with several Blackbirds anticipating an easy breakfast.

It proved to be a diverse, if small, haul of macros, including 16 species new for the trap: Chinese Character, Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet, Silver-ground Carpet, Foxglove Pug, Mottled Pug, Common Pug, Eyed Hawk-moth, Iron Prominent, Marbled Brown, White Ermine, Buff Ermine, Heart and Dart, Light Brocade, Marbled Minor agg, Treble Lines and Buttoned Snout.

Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet Xanthorhoe ferrugata

Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet Xanthorhoe ferrugata is now thought to be considerably scarcer than Red Twin-spot Carpet X. spadicearia, since previous separation criteria (including the pronounced notch on the inner edge of the wing-band at the costa in X. ferrugata) have been called into question. I have trapped good candidates for X. ferrugata in the past, but this one is about as close as one can get to being sure of the species without dissecting the animal. No hint of red on that dark central bar. And this one does show the wing notch...

Buttoned Snout Hypena rostralis, a local, former UK BAP species

Scarcer still was my first Buttoned Snout. This was, until 2007, a UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) priority species. The larvae feed on Hop Humulus lupulus (of which we have a supply in the garden) and adults over-winter to emerge about now.

Scorched Carpet (first caught in early April) is another fairly local species, whose larvae feed on Spindle Euonymus europaeus.

Light Brocade Lacanobia w-latinum      

Marbled Brown is a local moth of "long-established woodland in which mature oaks remain plentiful" (Waring et al. 2003), of which there is precious little in this area. Unfortunately, this smart little Notodontid fell victim to a Blackbird before I could photograph it (and despite my best efforts to protect it).

In contrast, Light Brocade, another local species represented by two of last night's catch, is associated with open ground on calcareous soil.







Foxglove Pug was attractive and easily identified (and, of course escaped before I could photograph it), but I struggled for a long time several other pugs and had to leave two unidentified, despite unstinting help from Norfolk Moths groups. I felt confident of Common and Mottled though.

Mottled Pug Eupithecia exiguata

Five species were firsts for 2014: Common Marbled Carpet, Green Carpet, Pebble Prominent, Turnip Moth and Small Square-spot.

Macro-moths (45 moths of 30 spp.):-

Cilix glaucata	Chinese Character	1
Xanthorhoe ferrugata	Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet	1
Xanthorhoe montanata	Silver-ground Carpet	1
Chloroclysta truncata	Common Marbled Carpet	4
Colostygia pectinataria	Green Carpet	2
Eupithecia pulchellata	Foxglove Pug	1
Eupithecia exiguata	Mottled Pug	1
Eupithecia vulgata	Common Pug	1
Ligdia adustata	Scorched Carpet	1
Opisthograptis luteolata	Brimstone Moth	5
Menophra abruptaria	Waved Umber	1
Smerinthus ocellata	Eyed Hawk-moth	1
Notodonta dromedarius	Iron Prominent	2
Notodonta ziczac	Pebble Prominent	1
Drymonia dodonaea	Marbled Brown	1
Clostera curtula	Chocolate-tip	1
Calliteara pudibunda	Pale Tussock	2
Spilosoma lubricipeda	White Ermine	3
Spilosoma luteum	Buff Ermine	1
Agrotis segetum	Turnip Moth	1
Agrotis exclamationis	Heart and Dart	1
Agrotis puta	Shuttle-shaped Dart	1
Ochropleura plecta	Flame Shoulder	2
Diarsia rubi	Small Square-spot	1
Lacanobia w-latinum	Light Brocade	2
Phlogophora meticulosa	Angle Shades	1
Apamea sordens	Rustic Shoulder-knot	1
Oligia strigilis agg.	Marbled Minor agg.	1
Charanyca trigrammica	Treble Lines	2
Hypena rostralis	Buttoned Snout	1

Micro-moths (3 moths of 2 spp.):-

Evergestis forficalis	Garden Pebble	2
Eurrhypara hortulata	Small Magpie	1

References

Waring, P., Townsend, M. & Lewington, R. (2003) Field guide to the moths of Great Britain and Ireland. British Wildlife Publishing: Hook, Hampshire. 432 pp.

Grey Partridge alive and well in Rocklands?

After Wednesday's chance encounter with one of the remnants of the UK's Turtle Dove population, my luck continued, bringing really good views of three pairs of Grey Partridge Perdix perdix in various parts of Rocklands. I only got on to the first bird when it was spooked by a pair of the much more common Red-legged Partridge Alectoris rufa I had been checking out in the morning near St. Peter's Church. The other two pairs were the result of an evening stroll on high ground in Rockland-all-Saints. This species is in a near identical situation to the dove and far less easy to find now.

The decline of the Grey Partridge Perdix perdix in the UK (BTO - ref. below)

References

Baillie, S.R., Marchant, J.H., Leech, D.I., Massimino, D., Eglington, S.M., Johnston, A., Noble, D.G., Barimore, C., Kew, A.J., Downie, I.S., Risely, K. & Robinson, R.A. (2014). BirdTrends 2013: trends in numbers, breeding success and survival for UK breeding birds. BTO Research Report No. 652. BTO, Thetford. http://www.bto.org/birdtrends