Friday, 5 July 2013
Micropterix
After yesterday thinking I had seen Micropterix calthella (and I may have done) I thought I would go back to the site where I found it. Try and find another and this time get a better pic to id it. Well as you know, this rarely works. However in this case I did find a Micropterix but this one looks like 0004 Micropterix aruncella. (Can anyone confirm this id pls?) I have a pic that's a little better (below) and the moth in a pot to try with the camera again tomorrow, but to be honest these things are so small its on the limits of what I can capture. I also have another pot with a Sigmella sp inside which is about the same size. Spent too long looking for these this aft and am now covered in midge bites.
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5 comments:
Just Checked with Charlie's blog pics and this is looking good for aruncella I think
Yep, definitely aruncella. Now all we need is a pic of the stigmella, although it may drive you to distraction to get it to stay still :-)
Charlie, I have noticed this. They are a lot more active than the Micropterix! both species do not 'gradually' take off like the bigger moths but ping off in seemingly random directions. Even in the field it is quite easy to loose track of them. For people new to this it is worth adding maybe that most moths (to my eye at least) including these small micros have a similar style of zig-zaging flight and that's what attracts the eye when trying to pick them out in the field from flies and other insects of a similar size.
If you try and photograph the stigmella alive be prepared to loose it. They either disappear in to the ether or in to the tiniest cracks you didn't even know existed :-)
Charlie, you have predicted the inevitable
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