Birds, Leps, Observations & Generalities - the images and ramblings of Mark Skevington. Sometimes.

Thursday 21 June 2012

Sweep Net Bits & Garden Moths

Late home from work yesterday evening, but seeing as it was mild and going to be light for another good hour and a half I decided to head over to Huncote Embankment for a bit of fresh air and a swish about with my net. Not too much flying about moth-wise, but plenty of stuff in the net and naturally a few bits potted up .... like these ....

Crytocephalus moraei

Leptogaster cylindrica

Tibellus oblongus

Tachyporus obtusus

 Leptopterna dolabrata

Common Froghopper


When I got home from this foray it was just in time to get the moth trap on - that's trap singular. I forgot to mention last week that my superb Synergetic trap got trashed by Nichola in a bizarre 'getting my bike out of the shed' incident which somehow caused the trap to hit the floor at just the wrong velocity and angle to ensure that the Synergetic ring got smashed to smithereens. Seeing as the mothing has been a bit pants anyway I haven't been bothered with getting one of my other traps out and have just been running the regular 125W MV. Naturally, with so little mothing of late there have been a fair few firsts for the year in the garden, and of course that garden first Isotrias rectifasciana that I've already posted about. Last night was the best so far this year.

18/06/2012 : 23 of 17sp.
0017  Common Swift (Hepialus lupulinus)  2
0332a  Firethorn Leaf Miner (Phyllonorycter leucographella)  1 (NFY)
0994  Clepsis consimilana  1 (NFY)
0998  Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvittana)  1
1014  Isotrias rectifasciana  1 (FFG)
1076  Celypha lacunana  1 (NFY)
1083  Marbled Orchard Tortrix (Hedya nubiferana)  2 (NFY)
1115  Ancylis achatana  1 (NFY)
1376  Small Magpie (Eurrhypara hortulata)  1 (NFY)
1728  Garden Carpet (Xanthorhoe fluctuata)  2
1827  Freyer's Pug (Eupithecia intricata arceuthata)  1
1834  Common Pug (Eupithecia vulgata)  3
1937  Willow Beauty (Peribatodes rhomboidaria)  2
1941  Mottled Beauty (Alcis repandata)  1 (NFY)
1981  Poplar Hawk-moth (Laothoe populi)  1
2302  Brown Rustic (Rusina ferruginea)  1 (NFY)
2387  Mottled Rustic (Caradrina morpheus)  1 (NFY)

Mottled Beauty

19/06/2012 :40 of 25sp.
0647  Brown House Moth (Hofmannophila pseudospretella)  1
0874  Blastobasis lacticolella  1
0970  Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix (Pandemis cerasana)  1 (NFY)
0998  Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvittana)  1
1014  Isotrias rectifasciana  1
1076  Celypha lacunana  4
1082  Plum Tortrix (Hedya pruniana)  3
1174  Epiblema cynosbatella  1
1176  Epiblema trimaculana  1 (NFY)
1334  Scoparia ambigualis  2 (NFY)
1376  Small Magpie (Eurrhypara hortulata)  2
1392  Udea olivalis  1
1428  Bee Moth (Aphomia sociella)  2
1713  Riband Wave (Idaea aversata)  1 (NFY)
1742  Yellow Shell (Camptogramma bilineata)  1 (NFY)
1764  Common Marbled Carpet (Chloroclysta truncata)  1
1819  Mottled Pug (Eupithecia exiguata)  2
1827  Freyer's Pug (Eupithecia intricata arceuthata)  2
1834  Common Pug (Eupithecia vulgata)  1
1860  Green Pug (Pasiphila rectangulata)  1 (NFY)
2120  Ingrailed Clay (Diarsia mendica)  1
2126  Setaceous Hebrew Character (Xestia c-nigrum)  1
2321  Dark Arches (Apamea monoglypha)  1 (NFY)
2334  Rustic Shoulder-knot (Apamea sordens)  3
2337x  Marbled Minor agg. (Oligia strigilis agg.)  4 (NFY)

Silver-ground Carpet

20/06/2012 : 86 of 41sp.
0017  Common Swift (Hepialus lupulinus)  1
0246  Tinea semifulvella  1 (NFY)
0602  Elachista apicipunctella  1
0647  Brown House Moth (Hofmannophila pseudospretella)  1
0874  Blastobasis lacticolella  5
0905  Blastodacna hellerella  1 (NFY)
0970  Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix (Pandemis cerasana)  1
0994  Clepsis consimilana  1
0998  Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvittana)  3
1010  Red-barred Tortrix (Ditula angustiorana)  2 (NFY)
1076  Celypha lacunana  1
1083  Marbled Orchard Tortrix (Hedya nubiferana)  2
1174  Epiblema cynosbatella  2
1334  Scoparia ambigualis  1
1338  Dipleurina lacustrata  1 (NFY)
1392  Udea olivalis  1
1428  Bee Moth (Aphomia sociella)  9
1713  Riband Wave (Idaea aversata)  2
1727  Silver-ground Carpet (Xanthorhoe montanata)  1 (NFY)
1728  Garden Carpet (Xanthorhoe fluctuata)  2
1738  Common Carpet (Epirrhoe alternata)  1
1764  Common Marbled Carpet (Chloroclysta truncata)  1
1819  Mottled Pug (Eupithecia exiguata)  1
1827  Freyer's Pug (Eupithecia intricata arceuthata)  2
1834  Common Pug (Eupithecia vulgata)  7
1837  Grey Pug (Eupithecia subfuscata)  3
1860  Green Pug (Pasiphila rectangulata)  3
1906  Brimstone Moth (Opisthograptis luteolata)  2
1920  Scalloped Hazel (Odontopera bidentata)  2
1937  Willow Beauty (Peribatodes rhomboidaria)  5
1941  Mottled Beauty (Alcis repandata)  3
1979  Lime Hawk-moth (Mimas tiliae)  1 (NFY)
2069  Cinnabar (Tyria jacobaeae)  1
2089  Heart and Dart (Agrotis exclamationis)  2
2302  Brown Rustic (Rusina ferruginea)  1
2334  Rustic Shoulder-knot (Apamea sordens)  1
2337x  Marbled Minor agg. (Oligia strigilis agg.)  3
2340  Middle-barred Minor (Oligia fasciuncula)  2 (NFY)
2384  Vine's Rustic (Hoplodrina ambigua)  2
2473  Beautiful Hook-tip (Laspeyria flexula)  3 (NFY)
2477  Snout (Hypena proboscidalis)  1 (NFY)

Lime Hawk-moth

No trap out tonight though. Sadly but predictably, seeing as tonight is the first of this year's Moth Night period, it is pissing down.

9 comments:

Andrew Cunningham said...

Synergetic Ring is a new one on me. Sounds interesting so could you point me in the right direction please as my Google skills got me nowhere.

Steve Gale said...

Skev, what are you using as id reference for most of your more 'obscure' insect groups. I'm still trawling the internet myself...

Skev said...

Andrew,
Synergetic tubes are the greenish ones used in electric fly killers. See here for what it looks like:
http://skevsblog.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/new-trap-n-stuff.html

And somewhere like this here to buy some:
http://www.lamps2udirect.com/pages/fullProd.php/Synergetic-TGX22-22-watt-Circular-Blacklight-Ultraviolet-Fluorescent-Bulb/139679

or here for tubes and electrics:
http://www.pwbelg.clara.net/mercury/new/index.html

Skev said...

Steve,

We have a fairly decent local on-line reference 'library' here:
http://www.naturespot.org.uk/home

But if I can't find a match there, or in whatever literature I have, then it is on-line trawling though I look for multiple matching references to have some assurance.

That robber fly for instance is in Chinnery - then cross checked the British diptera list and there are only two species with different coloured legs so ID was straight-forward.

When I think about it I'll add a page with various useful reference websites that I come across.

Andrew Cunningham said...

Nice set up especially the box using the large funnel. I shall get my thinking cap on. Meanwhile, is that light running off a battery unit (the black box on top) and if so where was that from?

Skev said...

Andrew,

Thankfully our county recorder makes these traps - excellent they are too.

This one runs from mains but there is a ballast in the control gear in the box). Will be the same gear as for a standard flourescent tube. Depends how confident you are with the construction and wiring - you can buy the control gear from Paul Batty (or other similar supplier) but I'm sure you can also find the necessary bits and lamp holder on-line from lighting suppliers.

http://www.pwbelg.clara.net/mercury/electrics_sets_actinic/index.html

http://www.nationallampsandcomponents.co.uk/index.php

Skev said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Skev said...

Probably something like this:

http://www.easycontrolgear.co.uk/epages/easycontrolgear.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/easycontrolgear/Products/HTC26-42

Andrew Cunningham said...

Thanks a bunch. I shall go through all these tonight and see if I can have a go myself.