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!).
an occasional blog about Lepidoptera and other natural history in and around Miskolc and the Bükk National Park in Hungary
Saturday, 31 March 2012
Wednesday, 28 March 2012
Néhány tavaszi bükki lepke (I)
Friday, 16 March 2012
14th March 2012 - Sleepers Awake!
Sword-grass (Xylena exsoleta) Szürke fabagoly |
Since arriving in Hungary on 11th March I had noticed a few spring geometrids around the windows and settled on white-washed walls. The weather has been sunny but still with a chill in the air and cold at night and the vegetation is looking mostly quite wintry even on our S facing slope. On the 14th though a milder evening brought a large noctuid to the kitchen window at about 9pm . This was fairly easily enticed into the house and captured as it circled the lamp. It was the Satellite (Eupsilia transversa Rozsdabarna Télibagoly) awoken from its winter sleep. Half an hour later I came into the kitchen to find J in the act of catching another moth at the window - she had trumped me with this splendid beast - it dwarfed the Satellite and looked most impressive with its wings spread in the confines of the flat.
The Geometrids seen this week were as follows:
Theria rupicapraria Tavaszi kökényaraszoló
Agriopis marginaria Dotted Border (Aranysárga téliaraszoló)
Alsophila aescularia March Moth (Vadgesztenye-araszoló)
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