Hello all
I had what I’m as certain as I can be without gen.det. a C. hemidactylella but this is new for me. I see from the web-site that there’s apparently only one record mapped but several photos of different individuals. Can anyone tell me what the current status is of this micro is in the county?
Thanks,
Steve
Hi Steve, Caloptilia hemidactylella is a scarce resident in Suffolk now. It is regularly picked up by recorders like myself, particularly along the coast but also occasionally inland.
Up until about 10 years ago it was a gross rarity in the British Isles with <10 records nationally.
Do you have a photo of the moth Steve? If the cilia are intact they should show some bands if hemidactylella. Had one myself the other night and I would say it is a scarce but regular moth with me these days with a few records each year. As Matthew says, has turned up inland too so seems to be spreading.
Thanks for your comments, Guys
I didn’t photo it but can confirm the banded cilia. It was something I picked up on when comparing the pics on line. Interesting to note that the lead pic on UK moths was a Suffolk example from Paul Kitchener.
Suffolk seems to be the stronghold for this moth at the moment. We have yet to find what it is breeding on however – all cones on Field maple containing larvae have hatched out as semifascia so far. Could be on other maples or even Sycamore.
There’s certainly a reasonable amount of field maple around here, including a fair sized tree at the bottom of the garden, plus in our hedges. I’ll see what I can find idc.
Thanks again.