31 October 2014

31 October 2014 – Wandering Migrant

Rusty Dot Pearl (Udea ferrugalis)

A new species for Shandy Hall as October comes to a close.  The Rusty Dot Pearl (Udea ferrugalis) has made an appearance at last.  A neat little jet-fighter of a moth that is not easy to photograph as its movements are rapid when disturbed. It was persuaded onto this autumnal setting and fortunately stayed put long enough.

The moth is a migrant and can be distinguished by the clear dark markings on the wings and its very white legs, which were clearly seen in the shadow of the egg-box in the bottom of the trap.  The scientific name refers to the iron-rust ground colour (ferrugo).  It is listed on the Flying Tonight site and seems to show up quite often in Yorkshire.  The image beneath is from the usual source and shows the markings accurately. 

The Rusty-dot Pearl (sometimes Rusty Dot, sometimes not) is species number 360. 

Still not a Sprawler to be seen despite the fact that it seems to be more frequently spotted than the Green Brindled Crescent and there are half a dozen of that species every night.  

Rusty-dot Pearl (illustration)