Bramble Nep

A few weeks ago on 11/03/2019 I found both vacated and tenanted mines on bramble at Martinshaw Wood that were right for Stigmella aurella ....

Vacated mine, very 'silvery' looking with reddening around the edge and (though you can't see it here) dispersed frass within the mine.

Tenanted mine

Tenanted mine

Tenanted mine showing larva and dispersed frass

I've only tried rearing nepticulid leaf-miners once before without success, but I decided to have another go. Both tenanted mines that I collected completed successfully to the larva leaving the mine and pupating in a tiny case, and both have emerged - one yesterday and one today.

Getting anything like a decent shot of these tiny beasts is nigh on impossible with my gear, although as per I've not helped myself by trying to zoom in too far. Anyway, here's one of the adults showing the punky orange head you'd fully expect for this species (Stigmella splendidissimella which also mines bramble, though the mine is discernibly different, has a black head).

Mine Sweeper

I've never really been one for looking for/at leafmines. Mainly because half the time I'm not sure on the plant, and when I am cause it's obvious/common (oak!) then the potential for mines is so great that it's nigh on impossible to use that as a starting point. So aside from a few very common or specialist species, my tenanted/vacated mine records are thin on the ground. I really ought to make more effort this autumn, but if I do find and collect mines I then need a means of capturing that for ID comparisons/confirmations.

Tonight I found a vacated mine of the ubiquitous Stigmella aurella on a small invasive bramble in the garden. I've had a go at scanning the mine, and using my hardly-ever used USB microscope to check for the egg at the start of the mine (which is necessary for some species I believe). Not convinced the results are good enough but maybe worth trying a few more ......

Stigmella aurella - vacated mine on Bramble.

Long gallery mine, frass dispersed throughout the mine but not in a neat narrow line.

Egg (I think) at the start of the mine on the upper surface.

Badly snapped egg at stupid magnification.

Garden Leaf-mine Ticks

Behind the shed, hidden away and left undisturbed, I allowed a small patch of self-set bramble to take hold. I had no intention of letting it establish properly - this was a deliberate attempt to get a garden tick in the form of the ubiquitous leaf-miner Stigmella aurella.

I remembered and checked yesterday ... long gallery mines, very white looking, purplish edged ... Stigmella aurella duly added to the garden list with several vacated mines. I do like it when a plan comes off.

I also noticed what appeared to be a slightly different mine - still a long gallery but much less white and with no purple edging. It also had a continuous thin frass-trail in the gallery ...

I checked the leaf-miners website and MBGBI Vol 1, and followed up with a confirmatory check with Adrian Russell (County Recorder and leaf-mine recorder). As I anticipated - a splendid bonus tick (garden, County and British) in the form of Stigmella splendidissimella. Great. Now to pull up the bramble!


Last night I neglected to put the traps out as it seemed to be clearing and turning cold at dusk. I then nipped out to the bins at 23:00 and found that it was actually quite still and mild so I got the combo trap out and running. I find that in the late and early season quite a lot of stuff is very late coming to light so I guessed it would still be worthwhile despite having missed 5 hours of darkness. Sure enough, the single trap pulled in 20 of 10sp. Nothing too exciting but good to keep trying - I'm determined to record Sprawler and December Moth this year (neither seen in the garden since 2001).

0332a Firethorn Leaf Miner (Phyllonorycter leucographella) 1
0998 Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvittana) 1
1524 Emmelina monodactyla 2
1771 Juniper Carpet (Thera juniperata) 5
2240 Blair's Shoulder-knot (Lithophane leautieri hesperica) 1
2258 Chestnut (Conistra vaccinii) 1
2259 Dark Chestnut (Conistra ligula) 2
2262 Brick (Agrochola circellaris) 3
2264 Yellow-line Quaker (Agrochola macilenta) 3
2441 Silver Y (Autographa gamma) 1

Chestnut

I should have gone to Rutland Water to day to try and catch up with the Bearded Tits that have been knocking about for a couple of weeks but we spent most of the late morning preparing for and executing Alex's birthday party at Lazer Force. Great - a bunch of 7/8 year olds running round shouting - a relaxing Sunday ..... now to await the flurry of dressed up street beggars demanding sweeties ....