Saturday 9 June 2018

Luquetia lobella - another new Micro for VC35

 
 

I nearly ignored this apparently dull, grey Micro as a Cnephasia, but then I noticed it had black scale tufts.  This rang a bell, although I couldn't think why, so I looked at it a bit closer and noticed the amazing upcurved palps.  The name Luquetia lobella was bubbling around in the back of my mind - one of those minor genera alongside Agonopterix and Depressaria that I never thought I would see - so I checked on UKMoths and sure enough that was my moth!  There appear to be 1 or 2 Glamorgan records and perhaps one from Radnorshire, but it's mighty rare in Wales and was new for VC35.

 
That would have been enough, but as I packed the eggboxes back into the trap I noticed another Micro that I had missed.  The distinctive hooked wingtips, bumps on the back and black, orange and buff colours made this instantly recognisable as Epermenia falciformis: only the 3rd Gwent record after one I caught at Magor Marsh in the early 2000s and one Nick Felstead caught a couple of years ago.  Two new Micros for Dingestow, taking the site total to 525 Micros.

2 comments:

  1. Well done Sam indeed!, how do you do it. Are you storing them up in a cupboard or something by any chance? chuckle!
    I remember it well the sighting as the moth really stood out amongst the others.
    I looked it up and found it was only last year at the end of August, so it should be about for a few months yet.

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  2. I meant to say I saw a grey moth yesterday but passed it by.
    Going by what you have put up here I think I will pay more attention to more non-descript ones.

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