Twist : Torts and Ticks

I'm going to focus on various Tortricidae from the garden, and including some ticks. In no particular order. First up, a couple of non-descript looking Torts that were confirmed via gen det courtesy of Andy Mackay:

Grapholita tenebrosana - 12/07/2021 - a full blown tick for me

Grapholita funebrana - 13/07/2021, previous records in 2017 & 2018

Oddly enough, I've had neither of these to the pheromone lures that seem to have attracted them for others (SKI & MOL). Unlike the following two; whilst these were never really in doubt, they have been confirmed by gen det too:

Pammene suspectana to MOL - 29/05/2021

Grapholita lobarzewskii to SKI - 13/06/2021

And this one too:

Dichrorampha vancouverana - 01/07/2021

The following was new for the garden, though I didn't realise until after it had been dismissed with the rest of the catch so only this quick snap.

Eucosma hohenwartiana - 16/07/2021

Also new for the garden, though not a classic specimen!

Variegated Golden Tortrix - 12/07/2021

None of the following were new, though only single records for each:

Gypsonoma oppressana - 17/07/2021 (one previous record 2013)

Cydia fagiglandana - 17/07/2021 (one previous record 2020)

Acleris kochiella - 22/07/2021 (one previous record 2011)

The following will be new for the garden when confirmed - pending gen det:

Dichrorampha sp. (alpinana / flavidorsana) - 17/07/2021

D. flavidorsana would be a full tick for me

Endothenia sp. - 22/07/2021

And to round up the Tortrix overload, none of the following are 'special', except that they are Tortricids which are perhaps my favourite moth group.

Epiblema foenella

Cydia splendana

Epinotia nisella

Lobesia abscisana

Zeiraphera isertana

Lozotaeniodes formosana

Rhyaconia buoliana

Pammene fasciana

Celypha lacunana

Finally sticking with the Tortrix theme, the Epinotia spp. that I netted a couple of weeks ago were confirmed as Epinotia tedella and Epinotia nanana by gen det.

Tortrix is derived from the Latin tortus, meaning twist - alluding to the leaf-rolling habits of many of these species.

More on the Acleris sp.

After posting the photo yesterday, I've put a bit more thought and time into the ID. Currently, only one thing is absolutely certain - it's new for the garden! Here's another shot taken today in slightly better light. I wanted to be sure that the resting posture was consistent and that the overall colouration was accurate (click for big).

The wing-span is c19mm. It is a pale grey overall, but certainly not whitish. There are browny-red and darker markings, though it is by no means a fresh individual. The wings have a 'rough' appearance. Most notably, the apparent concave costa is again clearly evident - so not some artifact of how it was sitting or the photography. There are 3 contenders as follows:

Acleris schalleriana
VC55 status : very rare/extinct. VCH listed, no confirmed records since though there is a good candidate from Sapcote a couple of weeks ago pending gen. det.
Foodplants : Viburnum spp., especially Wayfaring Tree and sometimes Guelder Rose, but also on cultivated Viburnum tinus in gardens
Phenology : emerges in autumn, overwinters as adult and re-appears in spring
Wing-span : 16 - 22mm (per Razowski)
For : Viburnum tinus in garden.
Against : A. schalleriana is typically has a darker brown overall colouration, and does not show such a concave costa.

Acleris kochiella
VC55 status : rare - handful of records since 2005
Foodplants : Elm (Ulmus spp.)
Phenology : two broods; flies in summer, second brood in autumn, occ. overwinters as adult and re-appears in spring
Wing-span : 15 - 18mm (per Razowski)
For : most likely species based on recent VC55 records, Elm in local hedgerows (but no mature trees)
Against : A. kochiella is typically a more white looking moth overall (though whiter on earlier brood?), less likely in spring, wing-span range too small?

Acleris logiana
VC55 status : no records
Foodplants : Birch (Betula spp.)
Phenology : emerges in autumn, overwinters as adult and re-appears in spring
Wing-span : 18 - 24mm (per Razowski)
For : previously restricted to birch woodlands in Scotland, but has been appearing throughout England since c2003 including recent records from neighbouring counties. Available images show same concave costa. Birch available locally. More likely in spring than similar A. kochiella.
Against : ......

[POST-SCRIPT 10/02/2012 - Confirmed as Acleris kochiella following gen. det. by Jon Clifton]

Meanwhile, here's a moth I can ID ..