COMMENTS AND NOTES ON SOME SUFFOLK MOTHS IN 2006

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Suffolk Natural History, Vol. 43

COMMENTS AND NOTES ON SOME SUFFOLK MOTHS IN 2006 A. W. PRICHARD At the start of the year there was no indication that this would be a rather memorable year, with a profusion of migrant species making their way to the county and adding several new species to the county list. Conditions for moth recording in the county remained generally poor until the end of May. June and July brought a couple of months of good weather, followed by a rather wet August before the season ended with generally very favourable weather. From July until the tail-end of the recording season in October the coastal recording stations were regularly recording unusual migrant species along with the more common migrants. Returning to the earlier part of the year, a Pale Pinion Lithophane hepatica (Clerck) was recorded at Milden by Juliet Hawkins on 21 April, a new species for the county. This moth had been expected in the county and this record adds to the picture of its continuing easterly advance across the country. The county moth group held a meeting near Benacre Broad, Covehithe on the 12 May. A reasonable selection of spring-time species were recorded and in an area of woodland near to the reed-beds Flame Wainscot Senta flammea (Curtis), Redgreen Carpet Chloroclysta siterata (Hufnagel) and Reed Dagger Simyra albovenosa (Goeze) appeared at light. A singleton Acleris logiana (Clerck) was also of interest, with this species appearing to be reasonably well established in the Sandlings. More interesting was the single Many-lined Costaconvexa polygrammata (Borkhausen) that also came to the sheet light. This species was once resident in the fens of East Anglia but became extinct in the 19th Century and since then occasional migrant records have been made, predominantly along the south coast. On the same night two other records of this species were made in Norfolk supporting the view that these moths were of migrant origin. A second influx of this species occurred in July with the moth appearing at Bawdsey (MD, 17 July), Minsmere (RH, 23 July) and Dunwich Heath (CM & DB, 23 July). As the year progressed into June two presumed migrant/wandering species were added to the county list with Little Thorn Cepphis advenaria (HĂźbner) at Ipswich Golf Course (NS, 12 June) and Evergestis limbata (L.) at Bawdsey (MD, 23 June). The uncommon migrant Silver Barred Deltote bankiana (Fab.) was recorded at a few of the coastal sites; Bawdsey (MD, 13 June, 4 and 6 July), Orfordness (per DC, 12 June and 7 July) and Dunwich Heath (CM & DB, 19 June). The rare migrant Spurge Hawk-moth Hyles euphorbiae (L.) was recorded at light at a couple of locations Landguard Common (NO, 24 and 27 June) and Rendham (MD, 16 August). Striped Hawk-moth Hyles livornica (Esp.), a slightly more frequent visitor, appeared at a few sites over the season at Minsmere (RH, 17 May), Worlington (TJ, 17 June) and Bawdsey (MD, 19 August). Red-necked Footman Atolmis rubricollis (L.) seems to have become a regular migrant recorded in the county over recent years and it could possibly have colonised certain areas, although this remains to be confirmed. In 2006 it was noted at Bawdsey (MD, 11 June, 4 July), Thetford (SC, 11 June), Ipswich Golf Course (NS, 12 June), Dunwich Heath (CM & DB, 2, 5 and 20 July) and Kelsale-cum-Carlton (DI, 2006).

Trans. Suffolk Nat. Soc. 43 (2007)


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