Moths of Redgrave and Lopham Fens

TRANSACTIONS MOTHS OF REDGRAVE AND LOPHAM FENS Fifth Report C. W .

PIERCE

S I N C E the last report, which dealt with the records obtained in the 1970 season, I have made few visits to the Fens, but some fresh species have been observed, mainly during two visits, one in 1974 and the other in the past season, 1975.

With Messrs. H. E. Chipperfield and B. W. Weddell I spent a few hours of the evening of 23rd July, 1974, on the path leading to the hut on Middle Fen, all three of us employing a combination of Tilley and actinic lamps at about 30 yards apart. Sixty-eight species of macrolepidoptera were noted, including Dotted Clay (Amathes baja) and Minor Shoulder Knot (Bombycia viminalis), both of which had been recorded only once previously on Lopham Fens. Also seen were Striped Wainscot (.Leucania pudorina), Small Dotted Buff (Petilampa minima), Cream Bordered Pea (Earias chloranä), Round-winged JYluslin (Thumatha senex), Rosy Footman (Miltochrista miniata) and Wood Carpet. The latter had not been recorded previously and the Rosy Footman had not been noted since Rev. Guy Ford saw it on the Reserve in 1950. Earlier in the evening, we beat the Valerian on Little Fen and obtained a few larvae, one of which produced a Valerian Pug moth (Eupithecia valerianata) on 15th June this year.

During a day visit on 6th July, 1974, Mr. H. E. Chipperfield found a number of the Brown Scallop (Philereme vetulata) settled on the Suffolk Trust for Nature Conservation's building on Middle Fen. On the night of 4th/5th July this year, 1975, Mr. H. E. Chipperfield and I, accompanied by Mr. and Mrs. Watchman and Messrs.

Alan Hubbard and John Laws set up our equipment at various places along the path leading to the hut on Middle Fen. Mr. Watchman operated a mercury vapour lamp powered by a generator while we each used, as last year, our combination of Tilley and battery driven actinic lamps. In almost perfect 'moth weather' conditions, we were able to record 80 species, five being first recordings for the Fens. These were the Blotched Emerald (Comibaena pustulata), Treble Lines (Meristis trigrammica), Varied Coronet (Hadena compta), Shears (Hada nana) and Archers Dart (Agrotis vestigialis). Other interesting moths included the New Gold Spot (Plasia gracilis), Beautiful Golden Y (P. pulchrina), Silky Wainscot (Chilodes maritima), Dotted

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Fanfoot (Zanclognatha cribrumalis), Scorched Wing (Plagodis dolobraria) and Powdered Wainscot or Reed Dagger (Simyra venosa).

Mr. Chipperfield informs me tliat he took both imagines and larvae of the Marsh Pug (Eupithecia pygmaeata) in 1973. On 20th April, 1971, I saw resting on a tree trank, one Early Grey ( X y l o campa areolä).

Finally, I must apologise for an error in the scientific name given to the V Pug on Page 394 of Vol. 15, Part 4. The correct scientific name is Chloroclystis coronata Hubn. and not debiliata.

Debiliata is, of course, the Bilberrv Pug and is found mainly in the South and West.

List of Additional S p e c i e s R e c o r d e d (Nomenclature as Moths of the British Isles, Richard South—1961 Edition) NOCTUINAE

Archers Dart

Agrotis vestigialis H u f n .

HADENINAE

Varied Coronet Shears

Hadena compta Schiff.

Hada nana H u f n .

CUCULLIINAE

Early Grey

Xylocampa

areola Esp.

AMPIIIPYRINAE

Treble Lines

Meristis trigrammica

Hufn.

Comibaena pustulata

Hufn.

GEOMETRINAE

Blotched Emerald LARENTIINAE

Wood Carpet Marsh P u g Valerian P u g Brown Scallop

Epirrhoe rivata H u b n .

Eupithecia pygmaeata H u b n .

E. valerianata H u b n .

Philereme vetulata Schiff.

(Total species to date, including those recorded in 1967, 1968, 1969 and 1970—314)

Reference Pierce, C. W . (1970), M o t h s of Redgrave and L o p h a m Fens, F o u r t h Report. Suffolk Natural History 15, 393.

C. W. Pierce, 14 Chalkeith Road, Needham

Market.