April 21st - Magyar tavaszi-fésűsbagoly?

I think the moth in the pictures below is Dioszeghyana schmidtii (named after two Hungarian entomologists). This is a Hungarian Red Data Book species and listed on Annexes II & IV of the 1992 'European Habitats Directive', i.e. a species whose conservation requires the designation of special areas of conservation and a species in need of 'strict protection'. Recently it has been found to be more common than originally thought but it is still considered a rare species and, furthermore, one with a restricted distribution within the continent. Its world distribution centres on the Carpathian basin; it was long thought to be a Pannonian bioregion endemic. The range of the species has since been shown to extend south into northern Greece and Turkey (Korompai 2006 and see www.macrolepidoptera.hu).

Two were found amongst the 44 Orthosia cruda in a 40W actinic light trap run overnight on the 17th to 18th April in Miskoltapolca. On 20th April I ran the trap again, but placed it further into the bokkor-erdő. This time there were 10 (and only 9 O. cruda). They are quite distinctive moths although the size is similar to O. cruda. Korompai (2006) usefully summarises the distinctions in external morphology between these two species. I don't have access to the standard reference - Ronkay et al. 2001 - so don't know if this is mentioned, but I also noted that when viewed head-on, the palps of this moth are very noticeably longer than in typical Orthosia cruda.

According to Korompai (2006) "D.schmidtii is an indicator species of the xerothermic loess steppe-forests (Aceri tatarico - Quercetum), formed by Tataric steppe-maple and oaks. It occurs most frequently in this habitat, but it lives in addition also in other natural, well preserved, forest-steppe-oak forests of the plain, of hill-landscapes and foothills of mountains".

The south side of Kis Köves - a small hill on the edge of Miskolc and on the edge of the Bükk hills (but lying outside the national park boundary) does indeed seem like suitable habitat. It has small rocky, grassy patches surrounded by low Quercus pubescens woodland with Acer tartaricum, Prunus mahaleb, Euonymus verrucosus etc and does include a little Quercus cerris (one of the species which has been mentioned along with Q. pubescens and A. tartaricum as a possible food plant). I looked for the species amongst my Orthosia catches when I was in Miskolc in the second half of March last year but this was probably slightly too early in the season. 

40W actinic light 20/04/2013. Large well defined reniform and orbicular stigmata. 

40W actinic light 20/04/2013. Internally the stigmata are not darker than the forewing base colour. A  slightly wavy cross-line is the same colour as the edges of the stigmata.

40W actinic light 20/04/2013. In this photograph the asymmetrical pectination of the male antennae can be seen. According to Ronkay et al. (2001) this is a typical external characteristic of the species (see this thread on lepiforum.de).

40W actinic light 17/04/2013. Shot showing palps.

40W actinic light 17/04/2013. The ground colour appears a deeper, almost chocolate, brown in photographs taken early in the morning or in the evening. In afternoon light (first three photos) the moths have a much more ochraceous appearance.

40W actinic light 17/04/2013.

References

Korompai, T. (2006). A Ponto-Mediterranean speciality of Europe, the "Hungarian Quaker", Dioszeghyana schmidtii (Diószeghy, 1935) (formerly Orthosia schmidti) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). In: Rezbanyai-Reser, L., Kádár, M. and Schreiber, H. 3rd European Moth Nights, 27.4.-1.5.2006, a scientific evaluation (Lepidoptera:Macrolepidoptera).

Ronkay, L., Yela, J. L. & Hreblay, M. (2001). Hadeninae II. - Noctuidae Europaeae. Volume 5. Soro, Entomological Press.




Other species recorded at light in these two sessions were:

Anticlea badiata

Anticlea derivata

Conistra erythrocephala

Conistra rubiginea

Conistra vaccinii

Diurnea fagella

Drymonia ruficornis

Egira conspicillaris

Eriocrania sp.

Eupithecia abbreviata

Eupithecia dodoneata

Eupsilia transversa

Ligdia adustata

Lithophane ornitopus

Nola cicatricalis

Orthosia cerasi

Orthosia gothica

Orthosia incerta

Orthosia miniosa

Polyploca ridens

Semioscopis steinkellneriana

April 2013 - Sallowing/Fűzfavirágozni

I made several visits to the low Salix bushes in a wide open strip (maintained underneath electricity cables) in the forest near Miskolctapolca in mid April but only on three nights did I find any moths feeding on their flowers. Flowering started (anthers emerged) on about the 10th and by the 20th most catkins were looking spent and many plants were leafing. The best night was the 12th when the rain poured down and every bush was busy with noctuids. I couldn't reach many of the catkins in the best clump of bushes because they were so tangled up in very tall brambles. It was good to see the overwinterers, Conistra rubiginea, Conistra erythrocephala and Lithophane ornitopus feeding as well as the common Orthosia species, cruda, gothica and cerasi. The next night I was armed with secateurs and though the conditions were dry and much more pleasant for a human to be out in, there was no throng of moths, just a few Orthosia gothica,  Conistra vaccinii and a very nice couple of fresh Cerastis rubricosa. 



Változékony Őszibagoly           Conistra vaccinii           Chestnut
enjoying a meal at a female Sallow catkin after a long winter.

There are a good number of tall Salix caprea trees along the edges of the rides and firebreaks on the north sides of the hills near Miskolctapolca. These of course produce hundreds of times more catkins than the small bushes under the pylons. Unfortunately they are mostly too high to really look at well. One night I tried the technique recommended in old books of laying a sheet on the ground beneath the crown of a tree and giving the branches a sharp tap with a long stick. This didn't bring down a large number of moths but it did  produce two species not found on the low bushes in the open (where it is palpably much cooler half an hour after dusk): Conistra rubiginosa and Orthosia munda.  

Vörös Őszibagoly         Conistra rubiginea         Dotted Chestnut
freshly arrived at this male plant.

At the end of March someone had cut down one of these Sallows, a male, presumably to use or sell the catkins for Easter decorations. They had left some scraps behind on the floor so I took a few of the sticks home and put them in a bucket of water. These opened about the same time as the still growing plants but, although they attracted bees during the day didn't seem to be attractive to noctuids. On the 15th however I was pleased to find a Triphosa dubitata feeding on a catkin that was by then passed its best. We've encountered this a few times on our south facing slope where its food-plant, Rhamnus cathartica, grows. I suspect it might not often have the opportunity to feed on Salix nectar after its hibernation. 

Vörhenyes Tavaszibagoly          Cerastis rubricosa         Red Chestnut
This moth had evidently already been feeding at male Sallow bush this evening before it visited this female plant. There are grains of pollen on the moth's antenna, proboscis, face and on the fur of the underneath of its thorax.

The sudden change in conditions from snow and ice to temperatures in the mid 20s this spring has caused some early flowers to be over very quickly. My particular patch of Salix bushes are now finished as far as adult moths feeding goes. Another shrub native here which flowers early, before its leaves appear, and when there are few other nectar sources around, is Cornus mas (Cornelian Cherry or Húsos Som). Its flowers seem to be used by Lacewings (Neuroptera) after dusk but so far I have only witnessed one lepidopteran visitor to them - a Hypena rostralis.

These are the 12 species recorded feeding at Sallow 10th to 17th April 2013, Miskolctapolca:

Conistra rubiginea                     Dotted Chestnut           Vörös Őszibagoly

Conistra erythrocephala            Red-headed Chestnut   Vörösfejű Őszibagoly

Conistra vaccinii                       Chestnut                       Változékony Őszibagoly

Emmelina monodactyla Morning-glory Plume Moth       Közönséges Tollasmoly

Orthosia cruda                          Small Quaker               Kis Fésűsbagoly

Orthosia gothica                       Hebrew Character        Foltos Fésűsbagoly

Orthosia cerasi             Common Quaker          Közepes Tavaszi-fésűsbagoly

Cerastis rubricosa                     Red Chestnut                Vörhenyes Tavaszibagoly

Lithophane ornitopus                Grey Shoulder-knot      Közönséges Fabagoly

Conistra rubiginosa                   Black-spot Chestnut     Télibagolylepke

Orthosia munda                        Twin-spotted Quaker   Tölgyes-fésűsbagoly

Triphosa dubitata                      The Tissue                    Kutyabenge Araszoló

Compensations on the blank Sallow nights were a Brachionycha nubeculosa netted on the ride and an Agonopterix pallorella flitting about amongst dead Knapweed stems.