Q hemidactylella

I took this Caloptilia sp’ on Wednesday night (5 April) and am guessing hemidactylella. What do others think?

Q: hemidactylella (W 05Apr17)

Q: hemidactylella (W 05Apr17)

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4 Responses to Q hemidactylella

  1. Paul Kitchener says:

    Hi Paul,
    From the photo it may also be C. betulicola. If you still have it check the palps. I believe C. hemidactylella has banded palps and in C. betulicola they are of one colour.
    Paul

  2. paulb says:

    Hello Paul
    Thanks for your comments. The moth’s dead – so will probably get it checked anyway – but looking at the palps this morning under a lens, they seemed reasonably uniform in colour, perhaps with a darker brown tip. There are a couple of small birch trees near the garden too so looking more likely to be betulicola.

  3. Raymond Watson says:

    I would say betulicola too.

  4. paulb says:

    Thanks Raymond. In a seperate e-mail conversation it was suggested I check the hind-leg colour and, if not too worn, the cillia. The latter look worn to me so I concentrated on leg colour, which I would say look off-white, not pure white.

    Definitely one for the chop as hemid’ will only be the second site record, and betulicola would be new.

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