ADDITIONS TO THE SUFFOLK
MICROLEPIDOPTERA
ALASDAIR ASTON
year, the Suffolk coast attracted the attention of Messrs. R. M. Mere and E. C. Pelham-Clinton, who collected at Thorpeness and Aldeburgh from lOth to 13th July. Quite apart from their startling discoveries among the Macrolepidoptera, which are reported elsewhere in these Transactions, their observations of Microlepidoptera are a testimony to the increasingly close scrutiny that our fauna is receiving. A list of their captures, which was sent to me for comment by our Society's Recorder for Lepidoptera, includes five species of Microlepidoptera new to the county and has brought to light one other county novelty which had, in fact, been first captured by Mr. H. E. Chipperfield at Aldeburgh in 1962. Several other species noted had been caught very infrequently in Suffolk and one species, Brachmia inornatella, Dougl., had been first recorded in Suffolk as recently as July, 1964, by Messrs. S. Wakely and M. Chalmers-Hunt. THIS
For the sake of eonvenience, I have placed the additions to the county list first. These species are followed by three lists of insects in diminishing order of scarcity in Suffolk, but, in some cases, my " ranking " of a species may be rather arbitrary. These additions to the county list bring the county total to 1,581 species, 76 of which have been added since 1937 when our Society published as its First Memoir the " Final Catalogue of the Lepidoptera of Suffolk ". 62 of these recent additions were listed as a Supplement in 1961 Trans. Suffolk Nat. Soc. 11 : 479-488. N e w to Suffolk 966A(1577)
Bactra robustana, Christoph. Pierce's Marble. Not mentioned in 1937. Taken by Messrs. Mere and Pelham-Clinton at Thorpeness. Mr. L. T. Ford in his " Guide to the Smaller British Lepidoptera " states that the larvae feed in the stems of Scirpus maritimus.
1133 A( 1578)
Cosmopteryx lienigiella, Zell. Contrasted Fen Cosmet. " Norfolk, Cambridge, in fens, local "— Meyrick (" A Handbook of British Lepidoptera ", 1895). Regarded by Claude Morley in the 1937 Catalogue as " probably overlooked ", this species feeds in its larval State on the leaves of Arundo phragmites (L. T . Ford op. cit.). Taken by Messrs. Mere and Pelham-Clinton at Thorpeness. It has recently been discovered outside the eastern counties at Gosport, Hants, by Mr. E. Sadler.
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1298A(1579)
Coleophora clypeiferella, Hofm. The Ridged Case. The first British specimen was captured in August, 1953, by Mr. S. Wakely at Mercury Vapour light in the garden of his home at Finsen Road, Ruskin Park, South London (vide Entomologist's Record 1954, November, p.272). Taken by Messrs. Mere and Pelham-Clinton at Thorpeness ; the larva feeds on the seeds of Chenopodium (L. T . Ford, " Supplement to a Guide to the Smaller British Lepidoptera ", May, 1958).
1316A(1580)
Coleophora versiirella, Zell. The Sea-goosefoot Case. Taken by Messrs. Mere and Pelham-Clinton at Thorpeness. An account of the recent recognition of this British species may be read in The Entomologist for 1959 in February at p.31 and in June at p.120. This general coastal insect was first recognised as British by Mr. J. D. Bradley.
1366A(1581)
Euspilapteryx phasianipenella, Hübn. Gold-dotted Slender. " Local up to Perth " (Meyrick op. cit.). Not regarded as improbably here by Morley in 1937. The larvae feed on Polygonum hydropiper, P. persicaria, and Rumex acetosella. Taken by Messrs. Mere and Pelham-Clinton at Thorpeness.
810A(1576)
Phalonia margaritana, Haw. (dipoltella, Hübn.). Orange-barred Conch. Not mentioned in 1937. " Kent to Hants, local " (Meyrick). The larvae feed on the flowers and seeds of Achillea, Tanacetum, and Matricaria (L. T. Ford). The first Suffolk captures, hitherto unrecorded, were by Mr. H. E. Chipperfield at Aldeburgh on 16th July, 1962, and at Thorpeness on 16th, 18th July, 1963. The species was next taken by Mr. S. Wakely and Mr. J. M. Chalmers-Hunt at Thorpeness between the 4th and the 18th July, 1964 (Entomologist's Record, Vol. 76, p.275). It was taken by Messrs. Mere and Pelham-Clinton at Thorpeness.
Scarce Species 659
Anerastia lotella, Hübn. Coast Knot-horn. Taken at Thorpeness. A local and uncommon species not mentioned from this locality in 1937.
666
Epischnia boisduvaliella, Guen. Silver-edged Knot-horn. Taken at Thorpeness. This species is to be found sparingly along our coastal sandhills on Lathyrus japonicus.
MICR0LEPIDOPTERA 679A Homoeosoma saxicola, Vaugh. Narrow Clouded horn. Thorpeness. This is the second Suffolk Claude Morley caught one in 1938 at Monks' the identity being checked by Hayward (Trans. Nat. Soc. 4 : 35).
161 Knotrecord. Soham, Suffolk
711
Pediasia fascelinellus, HĂźbn. Banded Grass-veneer. Thorpeness. This seems to be a scarce insect : recorded from Felixstowe in 1902 (Gibbs, Pyett) and at Thorpeness in 1964 by Messrs. Wakely, Chalmers-Hunt, and Chipperfield.
717
Platytes alpinellus, HĂźbn. Alpine Grass-veneer. Thorpeness. Since its discovery in Suffolk at Hemley in 1903, recorded only from Lowestoft, Sutton Heath, and Thorpness (at the last locality in 1961 and 1962 by Mr. H. E. Chipperfield).
789
Marasmarcha lunaedactyla, Haw. Livid Crescent Plume. Thorpeness. Not noticed with us until 1903, but seen several times since on Ononis, as at Tuddenham in 1946.
889
Acleris comariana, Zell. Strawberry Button. Thorpeness. Infrequent and found only at Orford in 1902 (Gibbs), Southwold in 1961 (Chipperfield), and Thorpeness in 1964 (Wakely and Chalmers-Hunt).
911
Ancylis diminutana, Haw. Festooned Roller. Thorpeness. Two previous Suffolk captures : Fritton, 1935 and Dunwich, 1936.
1045
Metzneria metzneriella, Staint. Metzner's Tipped Neb. Thorpeness. This is the second county record. A singleton from Timworth about 1910 (Nurse).
1057
Argyritis pictella, Zell. Painted Neb. Thorpeness. A local species on the coast and in the Breck. Previously recorded from Thorpeness in 1892.
1052
Aristotelia palustrella, Dougl. Large Marsh Neb. Thorpeness. Very local here in marshes, only at Dunwich, Thorpeness, and Beccles.
1130A Brachmia inornatella, Dougl. Fenland Obscure. Thorpeness. " Cambridge in fens, local " (Meyrick). In Suffolk previously only known from Walberswick and Thorpeness, where it was taken new to Suffolk by Messrs. Wakely and Chalmers-Hunt in July, 1964 (Trans. Suffolk Nat. Soc. 13 : 32 and the Entomologist's Record, Vol. 76, p.275). Larvae feed in stems of Arundo phragmites (L. T . Ford).
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Nemophora metaxella, Hübn. Metaxa's Long-horn. Thorpeness. Previously recorded with us only from Beccles. c. 1890 by Dr. Crowfoot.
Local Species (all species noted at Thorpeness except those marked *—Aldeburgh or f—Aldeburgh and Thorpeness). Schoenobius gigantellus, Schiff., Donacaula forficellus, Thunb., Acentropus niveus, OL, Ebulea crocealis, Hübn., Synaphe punctalis, F., *Nephopteryx formosa, Haw., Homoesoma sinuella, F., H. binaevella, Hübn., Nyctegretis achatinella, Hübn., Myelois cribrumella, Hübn., Platytes cerusellus, Schiff., Platpytilia pallidactyla, Haw., Phalonidia affinitana, Dougl., Dichrorampha gueneeana, Obr., Collicularia microgrammana, Guen., Epiblema foenella, L., Celypha purpurana, Haw., Depressaria chaerophylli, Zell., Agonopterix cnicella, Treits., Coleophora trochilella, Dup., Opostega salaciella, Treits., Zeiraphera ratzeburgiana, Sax., Evergestis extimalis, Scop., fBlastobasis decolorella, Woll.
Frequent Species fEudoria mercurea, Haw., Witlesia pallida, Steph., Scoparia dubitalis, Hübn., Scoparia basistrigalis, Knaggs, Scoparia ambigualis, Triets., Cataclysta lemnata, L., Paraponyx stratiotata, L., \Eurrhypora hortulata, L., JJdea olivalis, Schiff., *Hypsopgia costalis, F., Crambus pratellus, L., f C . perlellus, Scop., f C . hortuellus, Hübn., Chilophragmitellus, Hübn., Pterophoruspentadactylus, L., Phalonia cnicana, Westw., P. tesserana, Schiff., fAgapeta hamana, L., Cochylichroa atricapitana,, Steph., *Phtheochroa rugosana, Hübn., •\Pandemis cerasana, Hübn., *Archips oporana, L., Clepsis costana, F., C. consimilana, Hübn., *Batodes augustiorana, Haw., Dichrorampha petiverella, L., Laspeyresia succedana, Schiff., Thidodia citrana, Hübn., Eucosma cana, Haw., E. expallidana, Haw., E. campoliliana, Schiff., *Notocelia uddmanniana, L., Orthotaenia undulana, Schiff., *Hedya nubiferana, Haw., Olethreutes lacunana, Schiff., Celypha striana, Schiff., Bryotropha desertella, Dougl., B. terrella, Schiff., Teleiopsis diffinis, Haw., Chionodes distinctella, Zell., Caryocolum marmoreum, Haw., Mompha ochraceella, Curt., *Hofmannophila pseudospretella, Staint., Depressaria heracliana, Deg., Agonopterix applana, F., Elachista triatomea, Haw., Coleophora discordella, Zell., C. argentula, Zell. Anthophila fabriciana, L. Fumaria casta, Pall., Micropterix aruncella, Scop. I am grateful to Mr. Wakely and to Mr. Chipperfield, who gave me some valuable help with the records for several species on this list.