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Photo of  Dingy Shears by Graeme Davis

2314  Dingy Shears Parastichtis ypsillon

Flying : Mainly June, July and August

Common in England; local elsewhere

2331  Small Clouded Brindle Apamea unanimis

Flying : Mainly May, June and July

Common

Photo of  Small Clouded Brindle by David Owen

Photo of  Small Clouded Brindle by Graeme Davis

2350  Small Wainscot Denticucullus pygmina (Syn. Chortodes pygmina)

Flying : July, August, September, October

Common

Photo of  Straw Underwing by David Owen.

2303  Straw Underwing  Thalpophila matura

Flying : Mainly July and August

Common in most of Southern England, the Midlands and East Anglia but local to coasts in the West and North.

Most easily identified from the underwing, which has a similar border to that of yellow underwings but is straw yellow - rather than orange-yellow.

Wing markings are distinctive but not all forms have the strong black markings in the central crossband of the wing.

2299  Mouse Moth  Amphipyra tragopoginis

Flying : July, August and September

Common

Quite varied in wing colour. 3 black spots on each wing - sometimes faint. Main distinguishing feature is the furry appearance of the wing scales.

2302  Brown Rustic  Rusina ferruginea

Flying : Mainly June and July. Some in May and August

Common

Photo of  Mouse Moth by Graeme Davis

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2345  Small Dotted Buff Photedes minima

Flying : Mainly late June, July and early August

Common

2330  Dusky Brocade Apamea remissa

Flying : Mainly June, July and early August

Common

Photo of  Dusky Brocade by David Owen.

Photo of  Small Dotted Buff by David Owen.

Photo of  Double Lobed by Chris Piper

2336  Double Lobed  Apamea ophiogramma  (syn.Lateroligia ophiogramma)

Flying : Mainly July and August

Common

2293  Marbled Beauty Bryophila domestica (Syn: Cryphia domestica)

Flying : June, July, August, September

Common in England and Wales. Less common in Scotland and Northern Ireland

(Marbled Green - not shown here - is much less common but very similar)

2297  Copper Underwing Agg.  Amphipyra pyramidea agg.

Flying : Mainly July, August and September.

Copper Underwing and Svensson’s Copper Underwing are very similar and too difficult to separate using photographs of the wing patterns. Both species are common in England and Wales and less common in Scotland and Northern Ireland (See Hantsmoths).

2305  Small Angle Shades  Euplexia lucipara

Flying : Mainly June and July. Some in May, August and September

Common

2318  Dun-bar  Cosmia trapezina

Flying : Mainly July, August and September

Common

2306  Angle Shades  Phlogophora meticulosa

Flying : All the year. Most numerous in August, September, October

Common

2319  Lunar-spotted Pinion  Cosmia pyralina

Flying : Sometimes in June but mainly in July and August

Common in the South, South-east, East Anglia and to the South Midlands. Local West and North from there but unrecorded in Northern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

2321  Dark Arches  Apamea monoglypha

Flying : Mainly in June, July and August but sometimes in May, with a possible second generation in October

Common

2322  Light Arches  Apamea lithoxylaea

Flying : June, July and August.

Common but less common than Dark Arches.

2326  Clouded-bordered Brindle  Apamea crenata

Flying : May, June, July and possibly August

Common

Note: This moth can be confused with some forms of Common Rustic agg. - both are very variable.

2327  Clouded Brindle  Apamea epomidion

Flying : Mainly June and July

Common in England and Wales. Local elsewhere.

2334  Rustic Shoulder-knot Apamea sordens

Flying : Mainly May, June and July

Common

The ‘Minors’ are a group of relatively small Noctuids which are of similar size and shape - with wing length about 10-12 mm. Three of these are very difficult to tell apart - Marbled Minor, Rufus Minor and Tawny Marbled Minor. They are often recorded as Marbled Minor Agg. (See Hantsmoths)

2337  Marbled Minor Agg.  Oligia strigilis agg.

All three species flying in May, June, July and August

Marbled Minor and Tawny Marbled Minor common in Wales and England from the Midlands southwards but local elsewhere. Rufus Minor has a similar distribution but is less common than the other two.

2340  Middle-barred Minor  Oligia fasciuncula

Flying : May, June, July and August

Common

2341  Cloaked Minor  Mesoligia furuncula

Flying : June, July, August, September. Most numerous in August.

Common in England. Tends to be coastal in Wales,Scotland and Northern Ireland

The Species Common Rustic has been separated out into 3 species - Common Rustic, Lesser Common Rustic and Remm’s Rustic. However they can only be distinguished by microscopic analysis of the genitalia, so they are usually put together as Common Rustic Agg. They are very variable in wing patterns and colouring.

2343  Common Rustic agg.  Mesapamea secalis agg.

Flying : Mainly July and August but some in June and September

Common in England and Wales. Slightly less common elsewhere.

2352  Dusky Sallow  Eremobia ochroleuca

Flying : July and August

Common in Southern and Southeast England and in the east as far North as Yorkshire. Very local in the Southwest and Wales

2353  Flounced Rustic  Luperina testacea

Flying : Mainly August and September

Common

There are four UK species of the genus Amphipoea.

Of these the Ear Moth is the only common one. The others are local but may be numerous in their normal habitat. All four species are very similar and variable in pattern and colour. They cannot easily be distinguished from photographs. Without other evidence they would usually be recorded as Ear Moth Agg.

2360  Ear Moth  Amphipoea oculea

Flying : July, August and September.

Common in Southern England, East Anglia and the Midlands. Less common elsewhere.

The other, local species are :
Saltern Ear (salt marshes and dunes),
Crinan Ear (Moorland and dunes),
Large Ear (Wet moorland and marshes)

2361  Rosy Rustic  Hydraecia micacea

Flying : July, August, September and October

Common

2364  Frosted Orange  Gortyna flavago

Flying : August, September and October

Common in England, Wales and Scotland except the North-West. Local in Northern Ireland.

2369  Bulrush Wainscot  Nonagria typhae

Flying : July, August and September.

Common in England and Wales. Less common in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

2375  Large Wainscot  Rhizedra lutosa

Flying : Mainly September and October.

Fairly common in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Local in Scotland.

2380  Treble Lines  Charanyca trigrammica

Flying : May and June

Common in England, Wales and Northern Ireland

2342  Rosy Minor  Litoligia literosa (Syn:Mesoligia literosa)

Flying : June, July, August, September. Most numerous in August.

Common

2381  Uncertain  Hoplodrina octogenaria (Syn. Hoplodrina alsines)

Flying : June, July, August and occasionally September

Common in England and Wales; less common in Scotland and Northern Ireland

2382  Rustic  Hoplodrina blanda

Flying : Late June and July and August

Common in England and Wales; less common in Scotland and Northern Ireland

2384  Vine's Rustic  Hoplodrina ambigua

Flying : May to October

Common in Southern England and East Anglia. Probably spreading Northwards.

2385  Small Mottled Willow  Spodoptera exigua

Flying : May be seen in any month but mainly June, July, August, September

Immigrant from mainland Europe and the Channel Islands. Common  in Southern England. May be seen anywhere in the UK but less likely as  you go North.

2387  Mottled Rustic  Caradrina morpheus

Flying : Mainly June, July and August but often seen in May, September or October

Common

2389  Pale Mottled Willow Caradrina clavipalpis (Syn: Paradrina clavipalpis)

Flying : May be seen in any month but mainly June, July, August, September

Common. Some adults may be immigrants.

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15. Noctuids4 - Bryophilinae and  Amphipyrinae - including Arches, Brindles and Rustics                              

Photo of  Ear Moth by Graeme Davis

Bryophilinae

Amphipyrinae

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Photo of  Pale Mottled Willow by Graeme Davis