Migration Reviews

by Sean P. Clancy

This account presents a summary and brief analysis of the scarce immigrant and adventive species recorded in 2021, covering all the species of pyralid/crambid and macro-moth with fewer than 20 British records prior to the 2021 season. It is based on information available at the time of writing and may not be comprehensive, although any subsequently received records relevant to this account will appear in future summaries. The number of British records prior to the 2021 season is indicated by the initial figure in brackets; the number of records in 2021 is indicated by the second figure. These numbers refer, in general, to the actual number of individual adults recorded, but this is qualified in several cases as indicated with an asterisk and explained at the beginning of the relevant analysis. Channel Islands records are excluded from these figures but are included within the species summaries where of relevance.

2021 proved to be a fairly quiet season for immigration, both in terms of the variety of scarce species and numbers of most of the more regularly occurring migrant moths. Within these generally modest overall returns, the rarities listed below for the season still contains details of a record arrival of Maize Wainscot Sesamia nonagrioides, the first UK record of the presumed adventive pyralid Euzopherodes vapidella, and what is currently believed to have been the long-awaited second UK record of Lorimer’s Rustic Caradrina flavirena (although the status of this species in the UK is currently under review).

Sciota rhenella (11, 5)

29 June & 9 July, Pegwell, Kent (F. Solly). 18 July, Sandwich Bay, Kent (I.D. Hunter). 21 July, Ferring-by-sea, West Sussex (T.H. Freed). 31 July, Butley Low Corner, Suffolk (H. McClennon-Warnock).

The most examples of rhenella recorded in a single season to date and the fourth season in succession to have produced records of the species; these include the most westerly UK record and first from VC 13, and seasonally the three latest British records.

Euzopherodes vapidella (0, 1)

19 June, Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire (B. Sale; Sale & Smith, 2021).    

The first British record of this species of Pyralidae that easily could be overlooked as an Ephestia sp., particularly E. woodiella which can be similar in size and wing markings. Whilst vapidella has a slightly straighter costa and is more brownish in tone than that species, any further examples in Britain are likely to require confirmation by dissection, as was necessary with the Hertfordshire specimen. This record probably related to an adventive example of a species associated with the Carob or Locust Bean Tree Ceratonia siliqua; other possible larval foodplants include yams Dioscorea sp., Citrus sp. and Olive Olea europaea. It is known from Spain, Portugal, France, Switzerland, Malta, Sardinia, Sicily, Hungary, Romania, the Balkan peninsula to Greece, and parts of the Middle East, northern and western Africa. It has been allocated the checklist number of 62.0505 in Agassiz et al. (2013).

Mung Moth Maruca vitrata (17, 1)

8 October, Carlton, Leicestershire (A. Davies, in Davis & Tordoff, 2022).

*Records given are only those of wild-caught adults, although additional adults and larvae have been found indoors on a number of occasions in direct association with imported produce. The first Leicestershire record; whilst this record comes from a small village location it is situated between the major conurbations of Leicester and Birmingham so likely to relate to an adventive individual imported in its early stages within exotic legumes.  

Banded Pine Carpet Pungeleria capreolaria (16, 1)

26 September, Hurn, Dorset (VC 11: South Hampshire) (M. Jeffes).

The locality of the above record falls within the modern county of Dorset but is located within VC 11 and, as such, represents only the second of this species from the south Hampshire vice-county. The single 2021 record maintains the occurrence of capreolaria in every year since the first British records in 2014.

Dusky Marbled Brown Gluphisia crenata (11, 1)*

19 July, Ruckinge, Kent (B. Boothroyd).

*The bracketed figures only show post-1900 records, although there were additional reports of five adults and one larva during the mid-nineteenth Century. Modern records of this species have all been of male examples recorded since 2003, eleven of these from east Kent (VC15), the other from east Suffolk (VC25). 11 of the 12 modern records have occurred during the period of 11 June to 24 July, with a single late record on 6 August 2014.  

A correction is required to the dates of the 2019 records of crenata given in Clancy (2020) and elsewhere, the four 2019 records having occurred as follows: 24 June, Hollesley, Suffolk (R. Watson); 24 July,Aylesham, Kent (two) (D. Shenton); Kingsdown, Kent (N. Jarman); not as stated [all on 24 June].

Oak Yellow Underwing Catocala nymphagoga (7, 1)

11 August, Putney, Surrey (R. Arnfield).

The second Surrey record, the other widely scattered British records having occurred as lone individuals from widely scattered locations in Cornwall, Devon, Hampshire, East Sussex, Middlesex and Cardiganshire during the 15 July to 3 September period. 

Stephens’ Gem Megalographa biloba (8, 1)

5 August, Portland Bird Observatory, Dorset (M. Cade).

The first records of the Nearctic plusiid since the multiple arrival of 2012; the first Dorset record, with a westerly bias to the previous eight British records from Cornwall (three), Devon, Hampshire, Glamorgan, Cardiganshire and Co Down.

Druid Aedia funesta (17, 1)

17 July, Eastleigh, Hampshire (S. Ingram).   

This species has occurred on at least one occasion annually since it was first recorded in the UK on 13 June 2014. The 18 records to date have occurred in June (seven) and July (11), and from the south coast counties of Dorset (two), the Isle of Wight (four), south Hampshire (three), West Sussex (three), East Sussex (four) and east Kent (two).

Latin Callopistria juventina (17, 1)

3 July, Maenporth, Cornwall (G. Davis).

The second Cornish juventina record, both from the same garden locality near Falmouth. The 2021 record represents the seventh consecutive year this former extreme rarity has occurred in the UK with a spread of records along the entire length of the south coast, to date having been recorded from Cornwall (two), Dorset (two), Hampshire (four), Sussex (six), and Kent (four).    

Marbled Grey Bryophila raptricula (18, 1)

26 July, Fareham, Hampshire (K. Wheeler).

The first record of this species in Britain since 2009 and only the second from Hampshire following one recorded at Southsea in 1955. A majority of the 19 records of this species have come from east Kent with no fewer than 14 from that VC, the others coming from VC’s 11 (two), 13 (one), 14 (one) & 25 (one). The major spike in British raptricula records occurred during the 1990’s with eight records occurring during that decade, the five during the first decade of the current century being the last until the 2021 record.  

Lorimer’s Rustic Caradrina flavirena (1, 1)

11 September, Fareham, Hampshire (M.L. Opie).

The long awaited second British record of this species, the only previous British record coming from Hertfordshire as long ago as October 1967*. It is likely that flavirena has been overlooked in the intervening period as the much vaunted identification feature in separating itfrom the similar Pale Mottled Willow C. clavipalpis, the rolled up resting posture, seems to be an inconsistent feature that is not always exhibited. More reliable external features are the darker, more uniform, greyer forewing colouration than clavipalpis, the bolder series of white dashes encircling the reniform stigmata, and the yellow fleck within the reniform stigmata from which the specific Latin name is derived. A widely distributed species through much of central and southern mainland Europe, recorded as new to Belgium in 2020.

*The first UK record is currently under review and may relate to a different, as yet undescribed, congener.

Maize Wainscot Sesamia nonagrioides (1, 3)

7 September, Brixton, Plymouth, Devon (C. Vincent). 8 September, Branscombe, Devon (S. Patton); Lympstone, Devon (D. Wall).

The second to fourth British records of this species, the first having occurred almost a decade before on St Agnes, Isles of Scilly on 2 October 2011. Very similar to its congener Sesamia cretica which has a similar range and phenology, although male nonagrioides exhibit longer antennal pectinations. An agricultural pest across much of Africa that also breeds in southern Europe as far north as central France. A continuously-brooded species where conditions allow in the southern parts of its range, the larvae feeding in the stems of cereal crops; likely to produce between two and four broods annually within mainland Europe.  

Acknowledgements

My thanks are due to Scott Barron, Matthew Deans, Charlie Fletcher, Barry Henwood, Martin Honey, Ian Hunter, Les Evans-Hill, Mark Parsons, Colin Pratt, Neil Sherman, Leon Truscott, Mark Tunmore and Mike Wall for their assistance with research carried out for this account. Thanks also to all the individual recorders and the various local and national websites for the provision of immigrant records. If you would like to directly submit records for future summaries, or know of omissions from published summaries, please send to the editorial address, news@atropos.info or the address below. Records of scarce immigrants will generally only be published in Atropos if a voucher specimen or good quality photograph is available, or the record has been accepted by the relevant County Moth Recorder.

References

Agassiz, D.J.L., Beavan, S.D. & Heckford, R.J., 2013. Checklist of the Lepidoptera of the British Isles. Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects, Royal Entomological Society, St Albans.

Clancy, S.P., 2020. Occurrences of the Rarer Immigrant and Adventive Moths in 2019. Atropos Migration Review 2019: 4-10.

Davis, A.M. & Tordoff, G.M., 2022. Microlepidoptera review of 2021. Ent. Rec. J. Var. 134: 287‒314.

Sale, B. & Smith, G.J., 2021. Euzopherodes vapidella (Mann, 1857) (Lep.: Pyralidae) new to Britain. Ent. Rec. J. Var. 133: 257-259.

Sean Clancy, 1 Myrtle Villas, Sussex Road, New Romney, Kent, TN28 8DY.

E-mail: trapsite@vfast.co.uk

Tramore Bay, Co. Waterford

Tramore Bay, Co. Waterford

Tramore Bay, Co. Waterford
by Tony Bryant and Paul Walsh

A Striped Hawk-moth Hyles livornica trapped at Tramore on 1 June was the first here since one at Brownstown Head on 15 April 2011. On 6 Octoberwith favourable conditions for immigration four L-album Wainscot Mythimna l-album were trapped at Tramore taking our site total to five individuals, including a singleton taken on 29 June 2015. This species is a rare immigrant to Ireland, but with recent records along the south and east coast is now considered a potential future colonist. Otherwise, the most notable migrant activity involved a total of 24 Vestal Rhodometra sacraria at various locations in September and small numbers of other scarce migrants during September and October.

The main trapping location was Tramore (125W MV trap, TB, all months, but with very little coverage during June, July and August) and Brownstown Head (15W, 40W, 2x30W actinic and/or 125W MV PMW, limited coverage April to October), with some trapping at Tramore sandhills and Ballyscanlan (15W actinic, TB). Diurnal or dusk observations were also made at these and other sites around the Bay.

Species recorded as new to Co. Waterford during 2021 included:

Isle of Thanet, Kent

Isle of Thanet, Kent

Isle of Thanet, Kent

Isle of Thanet, Kent
by Francis Solly

Consistent recording was carried out throughout 2021 by FS & Phil Milton using single 125W MV light traps at two sites on Thanet located in Ramsgate and Pegwell, with a third static light-trap operated by FS at Kingsgate from 11 May until 3 December; additional records are included in the highlight list from a single 125W MV trap operated in Ramsgate by Phil Beraet.

The main highlights of the 2021 season were:

Shetland

Shetland