COMMENTS AND NOTES ON SOME SUFFOLK MOTHS IN 2005

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NOTES ON SOME SUFFOLK MOTHS

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COMMENTS AND NOTES ON SOME SUFFOLK MOTHS IN 2005 A. W. PRICHARD The early part of the year saw the discovery in Suffolk of a new leaf-miner, which has recently colonised the country, when Ectoedemia heringella (Mariani) was discovered at Great Wenham (TP) on 28 March 2005. The larva mines the leaves of Holm Oak Quercus ilex during the winter and early spring months. Following the discovery of the mine at Great Wenham further searches for the mines in the county produced several further sites on the 29 March at Ipswich, Stutton, East Bergholt, Higham (TM0235), Woodbridge and Nacton, on the 31 March at Freston, Shotley Gate and Erwarton, on 3 April at Eastbridge and on the 10 April at Levington (all records by TP). A further record was added later from Tattingstone on 19 May 2005 (JF). The mines were first detected in Britain in 2002 in the London area and searches for the mines in the county at that time all proved negative, so this would suggest a recent colonisation. Apart from the colonies in London and Suffolk it does not yet appear to have spread elsewhere in the country. The same cannot be said for the Horse-chestnut Leaf-miner Cameraria ohridella Deschka & Dimic, this has spread throughout the county during the year and is rapidly spreading across other parts of Britain. The recording of Caloptilia falconipennella (Hübner) at Minsmere by John Langmaid and Jeff Higgott on 1 October produced a further new leaf-miner species. The larvae initially feed within alder (Alnus glutinosa and A. cordata) leaves forming a blotch mine, while later the larva will form two to three folds on the edge of the leaf where it feeds from inside the fold. The locally scarce tortrix moth Pammene obscurana (Stephens) was also new to the county when it was recorded at Ipswich Golf Course by NS on 26 May. It appears that the early stages are not well understood in this country, but on the continent the larva has been recorded from birch catkins. Several records of Thiotricha subocellea (Stephens) appeared out of the blue in the east of the county in 2005. The species had previously been recorded in the West Suffolk vice-county but not the East Suffolk vice-county. The larva feeds on marjoram Origanum and to a lesser extent Water Mint Mentha aquatica, the former foodplant being more prevalent in the west of the county. The first record came from Ipswich Golf Course (NS, 14 & 28 July), followed by Minsmere RSPB Reserve (RH, 18 July; M. Telfer & G. Lyons, det. J. Clifton, 20 July; SMG, 23 July) and North Cove (SMG, 29 July). Some of the other more infrequently recorded microlepidoptera that were seen in 2005 included Ectoedemia sericopeza (Zeller) at Tattingstone (TP, 27 June), Monopis imella (Hübner) at Orfordness (JA, 4 and 22 June), Tinea pallescentella Stainton at Landguard (NO, 12 August), Choreutis pariana (Clerck) at Mendlesham (SW, 7 October), Coleophora lithargyrinella (Zeller) at Dorking Tye (TP, 16 April), Cosmiotes freyerella (Hübner) at Ipswich Golf Course (NS, 27 July), Apodia bifractella (Dup.) at Landguard (NO, 3 August), Ptocheuusa paupella (Zeller) at Minsmere (RH, 18 July), Altenia scriptella (Hübner) at Eye (PK, 2 August), Monochroa moyses (Uffen) at Minsmere (J. Higgott, 1 July), Aproaerema anthyllidella (Hübner) at Landguard (NO, 9 October), Neosphaleroptera nubilana (Hübner) at Ipswich Golf Course (NS, 30 June) and Cydia coniferana (Ratz.) at Rampart Field (SMG, 10 August).

Trans. Suffolk Nat. Soc. 42 (2006)


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