Emmetia

A tricky ErmineHello everybody.On Monday night I trapped in the garden as usual. Conditions were quite favourable with overcast skies and little wind, although we had had a downpour in the afternoon at some point this didn't dampen my spirits.The catch wasn't bad at all with no less than 25 species.Emmetia marginea was a new Micro moth for the garden, a Bramble feeder.Yellow-line Quaker was the only moth new for the year, and like the Black Rustic a species that I missed out on last year...will I get a Brick to complete the trio of 'The Lost Moths of 2012?' It was also nice to get the stunning form of Sallow f.flavescens, a different Beaded Chestnut and a much darker form of Barred Sallow.Now..there is a bit of confusion at the moment as to what Ermine I have caught. As I went out to the In the dark at 6am in the morning I suspected that it was a very late (my latest) Yellow-tail...I potted it up and then noticed it was too elongate for this and Brown-tail, plus it had neither yellow or brown on the end of its abdomen.This could only mean either White Ermine (for which it initially looked nothing like) or Water Ermine! Which hasn't been recorded since the 1940's!The moth was checked for the spotted hindwing markings that White Ermine has, this moth does not appear to have any markings, it is pure silky white and not worn either.But then there is the antennae question, in White Ermine the pectinations of the antennae are uneven and longer one side than the other, in Water Ermine these are pretty much symmetrical.My moth is asymmetrical so I am really baffled at present! See what you all think.For starters the wing shape looks too slim and rounded for White Ermine.I will get this dissected to be sure.Catch Report - 29/09/14 - Back Garden - Stevenage - 1x125w MV Robinson TrapMacro Moths1x Yellow-line Quaker [NFY]1x Ermine sp?3x Brimstone Moth5x Lunar Underwing2x Common Marbled Carpet2x Willow Beauty1x Shuttle-shaped Dart1x Sallow (f.flavescens)3x Lesser Yellow Underwing1x Large Ranunculus1x Engrailed1x Angle Shades3x Large Yellow Underwing1x Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing1x Beaded Chestnut1x Setaceous Hebrew Character2x Snout1x Burnished Brass2x Barred Sallow2x Common WainscotMicro Moths1x Emmetia marginea [NFG]1x Clepsis consimilana1x Mompha subbistrigella1x Plutella xylostella1x Blastobasis lacticolella1x Ambylptilia acanthadactyla

Dorsal. Catalog no.: USNM ENT 01343736. Specimen ID: 7916403. Taxon rep.: Emmetia marginea. Image quality: 1. Aspect ratio: 1.333.

Roughdown Common - Field Trip - 02/06/14I was joined by David, Roger and Steve at Roughdown Common for our second outing to this site this year.We were probably a few weeks to early for peak flying species, but nevertheless it was great to see some species a little earlier than we have recorded them before (namely Snout and Double Square-spot)Despite the warm and cloudy conditions, we had to wait a good hour and a half after lights on before we actually started seeing some variety which was a bit of a surprise as we were an hour into darkness with less than 15 species jotted down.But at 11pm things went rather mad and the deluge started as the breeze dropped off.By 1am the sky was breaking and there was a chill in the air and it was time to pack the 4 traps up.Highlights were a single Pammene albuginana, confidently confirmed by the County recorder as the 3rd record for Hertforshire of recent times, although the hindwing needs checking for certainty.We also got an early Coronet and 3 of the pretty metallic Eulamprotes unicolorella, which seems to be quite scarce?All in all a pleasing night, if we were a few weeks later we may have done better with species count.Catch Report - 02/06/14 - Roughdown Common - Hemel Hempstead - 2x 125w MV Robinson Trap, 1x 160w MBT Robinson Trap & 1x 80w Actinic Suitcase Trap.Macro Moths 1x Clouded Border20+ Common Swift25+ Clouded Silver10+ Grey Pug5x Mottled Pug3x Silver-ground Carpet2x Ghost Moth (2 Fem)10+ Common Pug5x Green Carpet2x Tawny Marbled Minor8x Marbled Minor1x Middle-barred Minor10+ Heart & Dart3x Straw Dot2x Small Elephant Hawk-moth15x Common Marbled Carpet5x Flame Shoulder2x Clouded Brindle2x Pale Oak Beauty2x Clouded-bordered Brindle (1 ab combusta)2x Buff Ermine1x Lime Hawk-moth1x Freyers Pug2x Nutmeg 2x Small Square-spot1x Oak nycteoline1x Green Pug1x Flame3x Ingrailed Clay1x Brown Rustic1x Burnished Brass2x Mottled Beauty1x Coronet1x Scorched Carpet4x Peppered Moth1x Pale Tussock2x Small Phoenix3x Middle-barred Minor3x White Ermine2x Broken-barred Carpet6x Treble Lines1x Pale Prominent2x Purple Bar3x Marbled White-spot2x Brimstone Moth1x Willow Beauty2x Common Carpet1x Least Black Arches2x Silver-Y3x Lime-speck Pug1x Snout1x Light Emerald1x Buff-tip8x Light Brocade1x Common White Wave1x Double Square-spot2x Garden CarpetMicro Moths1x Pammene albuginana [NEW!]2x Epinotia subocellana15+ Pseudargyrotoza conwagana40+ Cochylimorpha straminea1x Glyphipterix simpliciella5x Scoparia ambigualis2x Adela degeerella4x Udea olivalis1x Tischeria marginea1x Phycitodes sp3x Eulamprotes unicolorella1x Endrosis sarcitrella2x Agonopterix arenella1x Argyresthia abistria1x Coleophora sp1x Nematopogon schwarziellus1x Aphomia sociella2x Plutella xylostella3x Celypha lacunana1x Cnephasia sp1x Caloptilia syringella1x Tinea trinotella1x Epiblema cynosbatella2x Syndemis musculana1x Teleoides luculella10x Pandemis heperana1x Caloptilia alchimiella1x Agapeta zoegana2x Epiblema trimaculana2x Argyrotaenia ljungiana5x Scoparia pyralella2x Metzneria metzneriella1x Hedya pruniana

Dorsal..

Dorsal. Catalog no.: USNM ENT 01343738. Specimen ID: 7916405. Taxon rep.: Emmetia szoecsi. Image quality: 1. Aspect ratio: 1.333.