Tuesday 31 October 2017

September/October

New micro to the V35 list


Yet another micro was added to the Vice county list just recently.
A chance find in a small park of all places in Chepstow.
Stigmella incognitella (Grey Apple Pigmy) was found on small apple trees by chance originally on the 30th September.
Sam Bosanquet reserved judgement concluding that it was possible that it was this moth but wasn't sure if Ectoedemia atricollis was at work.


I decided to leave it and put it down to a potential revisit next year as I thought the season was over.
A few weeks went by and I went by the location again on a walk around the town but couldn't help but have another look over the trees again today the 19th October.
Again I found empty leaf mines identical to the ones I found a few weeks before and then I had a breakthrough because a larvae was present.
I took several pictures, checked it over and felt it was correct and sent off to Sam.
 This time there was no doubt about what was mining the leaves as the larvae was pale yellow. Ectoedemia atricollis has a dark head and greenish/white in appearance so this was ruled out.


The county list continues to grow.....


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