Monday, January 6, 2020

Year Review 2019

2019 was an indifferent year for Moth recording after an exceptional 2018.
I would like to cite lack of time due to football and personal injury as the main reason for the lack of performance.
On 13th December 2018 I snapped my Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) in my left knee whilst conducting a demonstration at football training and didn't manage to get in to have it operated on until 17th May. Clearly, the lack of mobility hampered my progress with regards to the emptying of traps etc. But at least now it balanced the ACL on the right knee that I snapped in 2009!
On the plus side, I managed to coach two football teams in 2018-19 season and passed my UEFA B License in early May! Hopefully 2020 is going to be far less eventful.

In 2019, I recorded a total of 481 species. There were 265 Macros, only the 6th best in the last ten years and 216 Micros, this was the 4th best.
But undoubtedly, the biggest milestone this year was topping 800 species for the garden, despite  'throwing out' the 3 Small Ermine species (padella/malinellus/cagnagella) and replacing them with Yponomeuta agg. I also removed my 'unsafe' record of Dark Twin-spot Carpet, a species that can only be reliably identified via Gen det.

The year ended with an all time garden total of 392 Macros and 412 Micros.

Year   Macro    Micro
2018    281         241
2017    274         207
2016    276         230
2015    256         199
2014    289         213
2013    304         218
2012    241         161
2011    253         207
2010    240         135

Recording days/Trap nights: 218
Records: 5277

Most abundant species in 2019-

63.115 Acentria ephemerella  Water Veneer 1832
73.342 Noctua pronuba  Large Yellow Underwing 1301
73.291 Mythimna pallens  Common Wainscot 1180
73.325 Agrotis puta  Shuttle-shaped Dart 1034
73.359 Xestia c-nigrum  Setaceous Hebrew Character 960
73.317 Agrotis exclamationis  Heart and Dart 753
73.244 Orthosia cerasi  Common Quaker 748
73.319 Agrotis segetum  Turnip Moth 672
63.095 Agriphila geniculea 632
73.099 Hoplodrina ambigua  Vine's Rustic 613
63.080 Chrysoteuchia culmella  Garden Grass-veneer 560

Micros

There were 12 new species recorded and one reclassified. Ephestia woodiella is now an option on my updated version of Mapmate. I have previously been recording this as E. unicolorella and before this, E. parasitella with the foot note 'Ephestia agg.'. Either way, the group requires gen dets, so 2019 was the first year I had a sample checked. I would like to thank Andy Banthorpe (AMB) for his assistance with Gen dets.

40.006 Mompha jurassicella 1- 30th March- 6th VC30 record- Gen det AMB
37.099 Coleophora striatipennella 1- 1st May- Gen det AMB
15.063 Phyllonorycter maestingella 1- 11th May- Gen det AMB
02.006 Eriocrania cicatricella 2- 16th May- tenanted Mine in Birch
49.309 Dichrorampha plumbana 1- 25th May- 11th VC30 record- Gen det AMB
62.065 Ephestia woodiella 4- 1st June- Gen det AMB- Newly classified
37.013 Coleophora siccifolia 1- 23rd June- 8th VC30 record- Gen det AMB
62.061 Vitula biviella 1- 22nd July- 12th VC30 record- Gen det AMB
62.021 Oncocera semirubella 1- 25th July
49.110 Agapeta zoegana 1- 30th July
27.001 Oegoconia quadripuncta 1- 5th August- Gen det AMB
63.054 Cydalima perspectalis Box-tree Moth 1- 24th September
15.081 Phyllonorycter nicellii 1- 23rd October- Mines in Hazel

Eriocrania cicatricella

Ephestia woodiella

Coleophora siccifolia

Vitula biviella

Oncocera semirubella

Agapeta zoegana

Oegoconia quadripuncta

Cydalima perspectalis Box-tree Moth

Year Review 2019 Part 2

Macros

There was only 3 species added this year, all of which were scarce. I can only speculate as to how long it will take to achieve the dizzy heights of 400 macro species for the garden. But it seems more likely to be years rather than months!

72.081 Catocala sponsa Dark Crimson Underwing 1- 5th August- 1st for VC30!
70.159 Eupithecia phoeniceata Cypress Pug 1- 18th September- 3rd VC30 record
73.223 Dryobota labecula Oak Rustic 1- 26th October- 3rd VC30 record


Dark Crimson Underwing
  
Cypress Pug

Oak Rustic