[0460] Ypsolopha parenthesella

Field Trip - Roughdown Common - New to Herts Jersey Mocha!

Our last visit of the year to this prolific nature reserve that always springs a surprise on us, and this night was no different.

With a warm South-westerly breeze dominating the weather forecast and lows of a comfortable 15 degrees, we once again decided to run traps on the Boxmoor Trusts land.

The hope was to turn up something unusual for the site or intercept a migrant (for which there were plenty about).

We succeeded on both accounts and star of the show had to go to a worn Maiden's Blush looking moth which Ian Bennell found in the long grass, several feet away from one of my traps.

Passing it around to everyone it just didn't look right for this species and the brain thought of other possibilities which were quickly narrowed down to either a worn Maiden's Blush (likely) a Clay Triple-lines (still quite likely) and then the absurd (Jersey Mocha).

The moth was retained and dissected the next day and I was literally on the edge of my seat awaiting the results back from Graeme Smith. When he said that it is a Jersey Mocha, that inkling to retain the moth was all worth it! Graeme had to promptly get a cup of coffee to calm down as neither myself or he could believe it, another new to Herts this year! And hat's off to Ian Bennell for spotting it and not just discarding it as a worn Maiden's Blush.

 

Other good species included a pair of Psoricoptera gibbosella (Only my 2nd and 3rd examples in 10 years), Hellinsia carphodactyla (Which was new to me) and Depressria badiella (Which was retained and also dissected by Graeme Smith and a great record for Herts, again NEW TO ME!)

 

What a fantastic night it was and thanks go out to David, Roger and Ian for helping me make the night a success and for being as eagle-eyed as ever.

 

Species counted but numbers not noted.

 

Catch Report - 07/09/16 - Roughdown Common - Hemel Hempstead - 2x 125w MV Robinson Trap 1x 160w MBT Robinson Trap 1x 80w Actinic Briefcase Trap & 1x 40w Actinic/26w BLB Trap

 

Macro Moths - 40 Species

 

Angle Shades

Beautiful Hook-tip

Brimstone Moth

Brindled Green

Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing

Centre-barred Sallow

Common Carpet

Common Marbled Carpet

Common Rustic

Common Wainscot

Copper Underwing

Double-striped Pug

Dun-bar

Dusky Thorn

Feathered Gothic

Flame Shoulder

Flounced Rustic

Garden Carpet

Jersey Mocha [NEW!]

Large Yellow Underwing

Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing

Lesser Yellow Underwing

Light Emerald

Lime-speck Pug

Maiden's Blush

Marbled White-spot

Pink-barred Sallow

Setaceous Hebrew Character

Shuttle-shaped Dart

Silver-Y

Small Dusty Wave

Small Square-spot

Square-spot Rustic

Snout

Spectacle

Square-spot Rustic

White-point

Willow Beauty

Yellow-barred Brindle

Yellow Shell

 

Micro Moths - 51 Species

 

Acentria ephemerella

Acleris rhombana

Acleris variegana

Acrobasis advenella

Agonopterix arenella

Agonopterix laterana/comariana

Agonopterix nervosa

Agriphila geniculea

Agriphila tristella

Ancylis laetana

Archips podana

Argyresthia semifusca

Blastobasis adustella

Cameraria ohridella

Caloptilia robustella

Caloptilia syringella

Celypha lacunana

Cochylis dubitana

Cydia pomonella

Cydia splendana

Depressria badiella [NEW!]

Ectoedemia decentella

Emmelina monodactyla

Emmetia marginea

Epinotia nisella

Epinotia ramella

Epiphyas postvittana

Eudonia mercurella

Eudonia pallida

Galleria mellonella

Hellinsia carphodactyla [NEW!]

Hypatima rhomboidella

Metalampra italica

Hofmannophila pseudospretella

Pandemis cinnamomeana

Pandemis corylana

Pandemis heparana

Phyllonorycter harrisella

Pleuroptya ruralis

Plutella xylostella

Prays fraxinella

Psoricoptera gibbosella

Pyrausta aurata

Rhopobota naevana

Stenolechia gemmella

Tinea semifulvella

Udea ferrugalis

Ypsolopha alpella

Ypsolopha parenthesella

Ypsolopha scabrella

Ypsolopha sequella

Done