A tricky Ermine Hello everybody.

On Monday night I trapped in the garden as usual. Conditions were quite favourable with overcast skies and little wind, although we had had a downpour in the afternoon at some point this didn't dampen my spirits. The catch wasn't bad at all with no less than 25 species.

Emmetia marginea was a new Micro moth for the garden, a Bramble feeder.

Yellow-line Quaker was the only moth new for the year, and like the Black Rustic a species that I missed out on last year...will I get a Brick to complete the trio of 'The Lost Moths of 2012?'

It was also nice to get the stunning form of Sallow f.flavescens, a different Beaded Chestnut and a much darker form of Barred Sallow.

Now..there is a bit of confusion at the moment as to what Ermine I have caught. As I went out to the In the dark at 6am in the morning I suspected that it was a very late (my latest) Yellow-tail...I potted it up and then noticed it was too elongate for this and Brown-tail, plus it had neither yellow or brown on the end of its abdomen. This could only mean either White Ermine (for which it initially looked nothing like) or Water Ermine! Which hasn't been recorded since the 1940's! The moth was checked for the spotted hindwing markings that White Ermine has, this moth does not appear to have any markings, it is pure silky white and not worn either. But then there is the antennae question, in White Ermine the pectinations of the antennae are uneven and longer one side than the other, in Water Ermine these are pretty much symmetrical. My moth is asymmetrical so I am really baffled at present! See what you all think.

For starters the wing shape looks too slim and rounded for White Ermine.

I will get this dissected to be sure.

Catch Report - 29/09/14 - Back Garden - Stevenage - 1x125w MV Robinson Trap

Macro Moths

1x Yellow-line Quaker [NFY] 1x Ermine sp? 3x Brimstone Moth 5x Lunar Underwing 2x Common Marbled Carpet 2x Willow Beauty 1x Shuttle-shaped Dart 1x Sallow (f.flavescens) 3x Lesser Yellow Underwing 1x Large Ranunculus 1x Engrailed 1x Angle Shades 3x Large Yellow Underwing 1x Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing 1x Beaded Chestnut 1x Setaceous Hebrew Character 2x Snout 1x Burnished Brass 2x Barred Sallow 2x Common Wainscot

Micro Moths

1x Emmetia marginea [NFG] 1x Clepsis consimilana 1x Mompha subbistrigella 1x Plutella xylostella 1x Blastobasis lacticolella