Showing posts with label micromoth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label micromoth. Show all posts

Tuesday, 10 June 2014

A new micromoth for Islay

I caught this very small (c.12 mm long) moth last night. Unlike many micromoths for which I have to call on expert Danny Arnold's invaluable help to identify, this one is distinctive enough for me to be confident in my own identification!
There is no English name, but its scientific name is Olethreutes schulziana - also called in some books, Phiaris schulziana. It is the first reported for Islay (with no records from neighbouring Jura or Colonsay, either) and has a somewhat disjunct distribution, occurring in northern England and Wales and southern Scotland, and then in northeast and northwest Scotland, including the Outer Hebrides, with a big gap inbetween in which sits Islay!
Malcolm


Saturday, 31 March 2012

A new micromoth

Danny Arnold, West Midlands moth expert, was here last week and, as usual on his regular visits, ran a moth trap while staying at Kilchoman. He caught this micromoth, rejoicing in the name Rhigognostis annulatella. It's about 18 mm long (not including the antennae) and doesn't have a vernacular name. It is only found close to the coast, e.g. in south-west England, north Wales and west and north-east Scotland. This appears not only to be the first record for Islay but also for the vice-county 102, which includes Jura and Colonsay.
Malcolm

Friday, 29 July 2011

A new micromoth

I caught this last night and it appears to be new for Islay (and the other islands) with very few Scottish records, though it is more frequent in England. It is called Egrestis pallidata and isn't common enough to have been given a vernacular name. It is quite large for a micromoth - about 13 mm long!
Malcolm