Sunday, March 13, 2011

Micro Time......12/03

Another good night with a decent spread of species, including a couple of new micros. Temperatures yet again fell no lower than 8°C and the promised rain never materialised. Even the wind was kept largely at bay.

Acleris cristana 1054
A superb and variable species and I'm pretty sure that's what it is. The 2 raised scale tufts and falcated ends to the wings seem to be diagnostic. If so quite a rare moth in these parts.

To add to this-
"I have a paper "A Guide to Acleris cristana" which illustrates 119 known forms of the species. I have not seen your form, which is No.107 subapucina.The paper says it is one of the commoner white forms (has been recorded in Huntingdonshire)".

D. Manning, VC30 micro recorder.

Diurnea fagella 663
A year tick for this melanic form. 

The count-  38 of 9 species-
  • Common Quaker- 16
  • Hebrew Character- 8
  • Clouded Drab- 4
  • Agonopterix heracliana- 4
  • Small Quaker- 2
  • Early Grey- 1
  • Oak Beauty- 1
  • Diurnea fagella- 1 - Year tick
  • Acleris cristiana- 1- Garden 1st

4 comments:

  1. Yep, lovely Acleris cristana, everyone I have had has been different!

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  2. Ben- I looked through about 40 images before I found anything near it! It's very smart....

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  3. Superb cristana! I really like this species for its amazing variation - but even having seen probably a 100 or so over the years I've never seen one like that!!

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  4. Cheers Mark! But 2 in a night? The prize is yours this time......

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