NOTES ON SOME SUFFOLK MOTHS, 1999
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NOTES AND COMMENTS ON SOME SUFFOLK MOTHS IN 1999 M. R. HALL Despite the perceived wisdom among the county’s lepidopterists during the season that 1999 was a “poor year” there were several notable records to offset the gloom caused by cool conditions and the apparent decline in the numbers of many species of moths. The re-discovery of Hemaris tityus (L.), narrowbordered bee hawk-moth (Plate 9), in the north west of the county is of national significance. This moth, which is difficult to distinguish from its relatively common close relation Hemaris fuciformis (L.), broad-bordered bee hawk-moth, in the field, was reported by Musgrove and Armitage (2000) and sightings of the adult insect in May were subsequently re-inforced by successful searches of Devil’s-bit Scabious, Succisa pratensis, for larvae. The narrow-bordered bee hawk-moth, which Morley (1937) described as “unaccountably and excessively local” with but a single site to the south of Thetford as his sole county record, has been declining throughout the United Kingdom and this re-discovery in Suffolk is only the second colony remaining in the eastern half of the country (Prichard, 1999a). Equally encouraging for the county was the single Aetheria dysodea (D.& S.), small ranunculus, recorded at Landguard (NO) on 17 June. The identity of this specimen, of a species which was until recently thought to be extinct in Britain, was confirmed by Gerry Haggett. Although locally common in East Anglia, Kent and Surrey until the end of the nineteenth century it had disappeared from most of its range by 1912 with only sporadic records of singletons in the 1930s, 40s and 60s. It was last recorded in Suffolk in 1898 when it was taken at Bury and also bred from larvae (Morley, 1937). It was re-discovered in Kent in 1997 and in 1998 larvae were found feeding on Lactuca virosa, Great Lettuce, L. serriola, Prickly Lettuce and L. sativa, Garden Lettuce in a comparatively small area on the south bank of the Thames between Erith and Gravesend, which was one of its strongholds a century earlier (Agassiz & Spice, 1998). Whilst the provenance of this singleton from Felixstowe is unknown it could be a wanderer from further south. As the larval foodplants are to be found throughout Suffolk perhaps diligent inspection of likely looking specimens in light traps in June and July may reveal the small ranunculus is again breeding in Suffolk. However, on 23 September the Landguard recorders (NO) also reported a singleton of the dark form ab. ingenua of Aporophyla australis pascuea (Humph. & Westw.), feathered brindle. Although this species is well known from the Felixstowe/Thorpeness coast of Suffolk the melanic form is to be found regularly at Dungerness in Kent and Camber in East Sussex, so perhaps south-westerly winds blew both specimens into the county. It was a day later, on 24 September, that a single Peribatodes secundaria (Esp.), feathered beauty (Plate 10), was recorded at Sicklesmere (SD) with its identity later confirmed by Rafe Eley. This is a species which is regarded as an adventive and migrant colonist and was first recorded in England from East Kent in 1981. It is now well established in Kent, where it is on the wing in July and August and it has also been recorded from Sussex and Surrey with
Trans. Suffolk Nat. Soc. 36 (2000)