28th March 2012 - Tavaszi zöldbagoly

Tavaszi zöldbagoly         Valeria oleagina             Green-brindled Dot

Another species which is on the British list but unlikely to be seen in Britain - it is a southern European - west Asian moth in its distribution, extending north and west as far as the southern half of Germany. It was recorded from southern England in the 19th C but not since and those early records are regarded as dubious. Superb moth. Two came to actinic light on 27th-28th March but it took some time to name it. It superficially resembles the hadenine (or now noctuine), Dot Moth (Melanchra, http://ukmoths.org.uk/show.php?id=2), which led me astray. I was looking in the wrong subfamily - it is actually in the Amphipyrinae (or Cuculliinae or Psaphidininae depending on what system is being followed!).