Thorns Inside

I've managed to dissect butcher a few more from the box of bits I'd forgotten about. I've done the Grey/Dark Daggers (3x Grey, 2x Dark). Here's an unset pile of Grey Dagger valvae for reference ....

Knowing what the key features are, and only going as far as necessary to see/confirm them is all well and good but obviously leaving the genitalia like this would be completely useless if actually trying to work out what something was (say a really knackered Noctuid with no markings).

I probably should have mentioned that I'm referring to this excellent site for guidance.

I had this next one down as a probable Lesser Common Rustic (first of the year on 03/07/2021, generally dark with clearly contrasting stigma), albeit nowhere near a classic almost black one.

Well, it was. I only looked at x3 specimens and both of the others from a week or so later were paler browner/sandier Common Rustic. If you think the butchery on the Daggers was laughable, with this pair I've not even looked at the typical genitalia parts that you see excellent photos of; for these dissecting out the thorny cornuti from inside the aedeagus is necessary. Here they are from down the barrel of my old and frankly about knackered stereo microscope - the more rounded shape of Common Rustic left, and straighter Lesser Common Rustic right:

I have no idea what purpose these cornuti serve. Looking at web images of these pair, the general form is consistent but there is clear variation in the number and size of the serrations.