Looking at Genitalia

I sent all of the specimens I'd kept in pots over the year, plus a couple from last year, to Jon Clifton recently and on Friday I got all the answers from the genitalia determinations. Of course I had muted possible IDs for most of these and happily a good few were correct (whilst others weren't!).

Significant VC55 Records

First and foremost, two that I had hoped would be firsts for VC55 were confirmed: Depressaria ultimella and Cydia illutana. Also the first confirmed post-VCH record for VC55 of Acleris schalleriana.

Also noteworthy were Sorhagenia lophyrella from Ketton Quarry on 26/06/2010 (one previous VC55 record?), Coleophora discordella from Whetstone on 10/06/2011 (two previous records), Dichrorampha aeratana from Huncote Embankment on 13/06/2011 (two previous records) and Aproaerema anthyllidella from my garden on 02/09/2011 (three previous records).

British Ticks (6 micros)

With the exception of Coleophora discordella and Dichrorampha aeratana, all of the above were British Ticks for me. The following was also a British Tick, Case-bearing Clothes Moth.

Garden Ticks (6 micros, 1 macro)

The following were all Garden Ticks: Case-bearing Clothes Moth, Aproerema anthyllidella, Acleris ferrugana, Acleris schalleriana, Acleris laterana (individuals from 11/07/2011 and 26/07/2011), Flax Tortrix on 15/06/2011 and Rufous Minor.

The Flax Tortrix was just a speculative potted Cnephasia that I held on to, whilst Acleris laterana/comariana is recorded almost every year but I'd never had one detted to confirm laterana.

Failed!

Aside from the Aproaerema anthyllidella (which I had very optimistically suggested was Eulamprotes immacualtella), the only others where my ID suggestion was not up to scratch were: a putative Scoparia basistrigalis (no confirmed VC55 records) that was just ambigualis, and a hoped-for Oegoconia deauratella that was just quadripuncta.

The Rest

Other dets were: Phycitodes saxicola from Huncote Embankment on 02/07/2010; Coleophora flavipennella, collected as a larval case from Pickworth Great Wood on 01/05/2011; Dichrorampha alpinana from Huncote Embankment on 13/06/2011, and Eucosma hohenwartiana from Loughborough Big Meadow on 14/06/2011. The latter was completely worn and knackered and couldn't be identified as anything but a tortrix on externals.

What does it all mean?

Taking into account the above dets, I've managed to just about sort out my 2011 lists. There is actually just one specimen still awaiting confirmation - the potential VC55 first Acleris logiana from my garden which was passed on for setting and will be gen. detted at some point (hopefully) soon.

So the 2011 Garden List finished at 394 species (+1 pending). This included a superb 23 (+1) new micros and 7 new macros. I can now start on doing my usual garden moth reports for the year.

The overall 2011 Yearlist finished at 633 species (+1 pending). Surprisingly I picked no British Tick macros at all in 2011 - must get out more this year!