SOME
MOTHS
NEW
TO
SUFFOLK
by H . E . CHIPPERFIELD
SINCE the publication of the 1937 Memoire—Final Catalogue of the Lepidoptera of Suffolk—a number of species have been recorded from the County which were thought not to exist here. Several of these have been mentioned in previous Transactions but the following have not yet been reported. The Large Thorn (Ennomos autumnaria, Wemb.), was thought by Claude Morley to be so rare as to be doubtfully indigenous. However I have twice taken the moth in Stowmarket, on 2nd October, 1952, and 3rd October, 1954, and found a larva at Colchester in 1937 from which a moth emerged on 9th September of that year. The moth has also been taken at Barton Mills by the Rev. Guy A. Ford of Balsham, Cambridge. It is now considered to be a resident in south-east England. Sharp-angled Peacock (Semiothisa alternaria, Hubn.), was " believed to occur nowhere in eastern England, so was excluded from our County by Bloomfield (1890. p.55) presumably correctly". One specimen was taken at Bawdsey on 1 Ith August, 1935, among Sea-buckthorn. There has been a good deal of correspondence recently about the occurrence of this species among Sea-buckthorn on the Sussex coast. Apparently this plant has not long been known as a pabulum, as the revised ' Richard South ' does not give it, but it does mention Suffolk as a locality for the species. Tawny Marbled Minor (Procus latruncula, Schiff.), was for long confused with the Marbled Minor (Procus strigilis, Clerck.) until the technique of identification by examination of the genitalia was evolved. So far I have only found the dark form, which has a coppery-green tinge thus differing from the dark ab. aethiops form of P. strigilis which is black. I have, however, had all my specimens confirmed by Mr. D. S. Fletcher of the British Museum (Natural History). I first found this species at Knodishall on 6th June, 1949, and have taken it annually at Stowmarket for the past four years, and once at Belstead in 1959. Thus it seems to be quite widespread in the County. Rosy Knot-horn (Phycita semirubella, Scop.), had not been recorded from Suffolk up to 1937. This fact was pointed out to me by Mr. Alasdair Aston when we were discussing the species recently. I remembered that I had taken a specimen at Knodishall on 31st July, 1948, but did not realize that it had not been previously recorded for Suffolk.