Micro-moth Field Guide

Discussion forum for all Moth (Micro & Macro-moths (Lepidoptera)) related topics.
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stevehind
Posts: 2908
Joined: Mon Aug 04, 2008 11:44 am
Location: Higher Poynton, Cheshire

Micro-moth Field Guide

Post by stevehind »

Micro-moth Field Guide:

The "Field Guide to the Micro moths of Great Britain and Ireland" will be published on 31st May 2012. There is a pre-publication offer for the paperback/softback version at: £26 plus £2 p&p (£45 plus £2 for the hardback). Details can be found on:

http://www.britishwildlife.com/viewbook.asp?bookid=24

Steve

melbellingham
Posts: 834
Joined: Tue Jun 14, 2011 7:00 pm
Location: Great Sutton, Cheshire. Mapmate.

Re: Micro-moth Field Guide

Post by melbellingham »

I assume that like most recorders struggling with micro-moth identification, I was eagerly awaiting publication of this new guide. Having received my copy, I have not had time to absorb all of the information that it contains, but I am sure that it will be a great help.

This morning I used it for the first time to check the identification of Lobesia littoralis. I had recorded this species before, but I often have to check again when I get a moth that I haven't seen for a while. I checked several other species that it might have been, and while doing so found names I was not familiar with. For example, Epiblema rosaecolana is now Notocelia rosaecolana. In fact many of the Epiblema's are now Notocelia's. Another example I quickly found is that Orthopygia glaucinalis is now Hypsopygia glaucinalis.

Have I missed something? As far as I know I have kept my Mapmate database up to date, but it still shows the 'old'
names. I find Latin names very difficult and having learned one I am confused when I have to re-learn it. If I'd known 60 years ago that I would be struggling with Latin names now, I just might have paid more attention to the Latin Master at school.

Returned from a week in Pembrokeshire on Saturday, hoping for a few more moths in the garden trap, but it is still rather slow. 8 species Saturday night for Garden Moth Scheme, 5 last night. In Pembrokeshire I recorded 81 species for the week, but it could have been more if I had been able to identify a few more micro's.

Mel.

melbellingham
Posts: 834
Joined: Tue Jun 14, 2011 7:00 pm
Location: Great Sutton, Cheshire. Mapmate.

Re: Micro-moth Field Guide

Post by melbellingham »

I assume that like most recorders struggling with micro-moth identification, I was eagerly awaiting publication of this new guide. Having received my copy, I have not had time to absorb all of the information that it contains, but I am sure that it will be a great help.

This morning I used it for the first time to check the identification of Lobesia littoralis. I had recorded this species before, but I often have to check again when I get a moth that I haven't seen for a while. I checked several other species that it might have been, and while doing so found names I was not familiar with. For example, Epiblema rosaecolana is now Notocelia rosaecolana. In fact many of the Epiblema's are now Notocelia's. Another example I quickly found is that Orthopygia glaucinalis is now Hypsopygia glaucinalis.

Have I missed something? As far as I know I have kept my Mapmate database up to date, but it still shows the 'old'
names. I find Latin names very difficult and having learned one I am confused when I have to re-learn it. If I'd known 60 years ago that I would be struggling with Latin names now, I just might have paid more attention to the Latin Master at school.

Returned from a week in Pembrokeshire on Saturday, hoping for a few more moths in the garden trap, but it is still rather slow. 8 species Saturday night for Garden Moth Scheme, 5 last night. In Pembrokeshire I recorded 81 species for the week, but it could have been more if I had been able to identify a few more micro's.

Mel.

stevehind
Posts: 2908
Joined: Mon Aug 04, 2008 11:44 am
Location: Higher Poynton, Cheshire

Re: Micro-moth Field Guide

Post by stevehind »

Hi Mel,

Most of the name changes appear to be to the genus and it looks like the species names have remained the same. Sadly the index is genus/species, which makes finding a species difficult when we don't know the new name. A species/genus index would have been better. Some of the family orders have also changed. The plumes now appear before the Tortricidae and the Agonopterix are no longer in the Oecophoridae. They have now been included with the Elachistidae, so just flicking through the book and hoping to find the species where you would expect to in systematic order is also a challenge. It will be interesting to see whether or not Mapmate adopt these changes. At least the Bradley & Fletcher numbers, which I tend to use for data entry in Mapmate, have remained the same.

Regards,
Steve

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