New to Moths :-) (1 Viewer)

[SleepyLizard]

Hi folks. I a complete newbie with moths. I have purchased the "Field Guide to the Moths of Great Britain and Ireland" by Waring and Townsend. However. I would really appreciate any help you can offer with the following three moths. I imagine they are all fairly common but I'm still quite confused at this stage of the game.

All were photographed in Easter-Ross in the north of Scotland and all in the last week. I have included my own guess at the ID although I'm no doubt way off


Hebrew Character (Orthosia gothica) I think???
http://web.onetel.net.uk/~haggis63/moth-1.jpg

Narrow-winged Pug (Eupithecia nanata) ???
8mm length X 18mm Wing span
http://web.onetel.net.uk/~haggis63/moth-2.jpg

I thought this was like the Yellow-ringed Carpet (Entephria flavicinctata)
Wings were about 18mm long.
http://web.onetel.net.uk/~haggis63/moth-3.jpg


BTW - how should I state measurements for moths?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Alan

 

[CJW]

Hi Alan and welcome to Bird Forum from all the Moderators and Admin. Staff.
I can't help you at the moment with any certainty at the moment as I'm stuck in work, but I can confirm the first one is definitely a Hebrew Character. If no-one else has confirmed the i.d. of the other two sp. I'll let you know tonight (say before 7pm).
As for measuring an insect, the wingspan should be wingtip to thorax (X2) along the costal edge + thorax width.
Hope this helps.

 

[SleepyLizard]

Many thanks Chris for the welcome and the confirmation of the Hebrew Character and the info on measuring. If there are no other takers, I'll look forward to your opinions on the other two as well

Alan

 

[CJW]

Hi Alan, everyone else must be out birding etc!
The pug is Double-striped Pug Gymnoscelis rufifasciata and the carpet is Autumn Green Carpet Chloroclysta miata (despite the name they fly in March & April!)

 

[SleepyLizard]

Wow - thanks for your help.

Beleive ot or not, my second guess for moth 2 was Double-striped Pug. However, In a million years I'd never have come up with Autumn Green Carpet based on the picture in my book. I have a lot to learn!

Many thanks!

Alan

 

[CJW]

One important point, Alan, is that Yellow-ringed is a high-Summer flyer, so you need to be looking at flight periods as well as the apparent i.d. features.
it's a feature of green moths (and blue ones) that they fade very quickly, so a lot of 'specimens' in the guide books don't always look like the pristine example you photographed.

 

[Angus T]

, so you need to be looking at flight periods

I'd just like to add, that the flight periods given in books are indicators and not gospel. And to qualify that a bit, I'm not suggesting that one may get an Autumn species in the Spring, I'm suggesting that if May is given as flight period, than it could turn up in April. I've already had a couple of Spruce carpet, and Early Thorn season with me seems to start in mid-Jan.

 

[CJW]

That's right Angus and especially now, with global warming, I'm noticing species flying a lot earlier and for longer than the guides (hence the name) would indicate. Still, I'd be hesitant i.d.-ing a species that was two months out of it's 'given' flight period.

 

[SleepyLizard]

Thanks for the advice Angus and Chris.

Actually I did consider that when I came up with my wild guess of Yellow-ringed Carpet, as according to my book some local populations fly in May which is only a couple of weeks away.

 

[harry eales]

The Autumn Green Carpet does actually emerge in the autumn, September/October in my neck of the woods. Only the female moth hibernates to re-appear in the spring. Mating and then hibernation must take place shortly after emergence, as often the overwintered specimens are in perfect condition.

Harry Eales

 

[SleepyLizard]

Thank you Harry.

I think your saying you agree it's a Autumn Green Carpet but one that has overwintered. Yes???

 

[harry eales]

Hi Sleepy Lizard,
Yes, I agree with the ID. It can be easily mistaken for the Beech Green Carpet in some of it's forms, but there is no doubt in my mind that Chris's id. is correct. I'm still waiting for my first post hibernated specimen of the season, but then I am 'up north'.

Harry Eales.