Chris Raper @chrisraper.bsky.social · 21hI'd have to agree with you ... it certainly looks different from the usual Amblyteles etc. I'm not sure what it is but if you showed it to Gavin Broad or sent it in to the NHM I could pass it to him and see if he could tell us. I know Jaswinder would probably give it a go too :) 000
Chris Raper @chrisraper.bsky.social · 03/10/2026Clancy's & Rush Veneer still about in Tilehurst/Reading and FFY Blair's Shoulder Knot. Also, Chestnut, Barred Sallow & some lovely Lunar Underwing colour variations. #ukmoths #teammoth 0130
Chris Raper @chrisraper.bsky.social · 27/09/2026I've always been too old for late nights! Only time I stayed up all night moth collecting was in French Guiana - it was just manic. But in the UK I usually just go along and stay for some nice stuff to arrive then bail before midnight and get to my bed. 010
Chris Raper @chrisraper.bsky.social · 25/09/2026I suppose our books include everything that has ever made it across the Channel which already must include things that are fairly uncommon there too. 110
Chris Raper @chrisraper.bsky.social · 25/09/2026It's interesting how the culture is different. To be fair, in the UK a lot of the old-school moth folk will put out lights and watch them all night with something to eat & drink. Trapping is more of a modern thing and a way to make it easy for beginners. 100
Chris Raper @chrisraper.bsky.social · 25/09/2026What are your main ID resources there? Are there good books for France or do people rely a lot on image recognition like iNaturalist? I have to admit that I use iNat as a first filter and it has saved me making really dumb mistakes. Then I just correct anything obviously wrong (very rare) 300
Chris Raper @chrisraper.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Yes, I suppose what makes it across the Channel is a good sign that the species is moving in numbers ... we also have plenty of coastal trappers watching out for new stuff. Is the moth trapping hobby very popular in France, with the locals? 100
Chris Raper @chrisraper.bsky.social · 24/09/2026Nice to hear :) It makes me wonder if these are moths that have gone north on migration, like so many insects this year, or if they are local and have just had a good year - possibly due to the heatwave. 101
Chris Raper @chrisraper.bsky.social · 24/09/2026Lovely to see they are doing well ... they still seem to be quite localised though. In some areas they are common and persist year on year but they haven't occupied all of the southern coastal strip yet 000
Chris Raper @chrisraper.bsky.social · 22/09/2026Forgot the Deep-brown Dart from last night ... we've had a few of these in our road so I wonder if they are having a good year? #teammoth #ukmoths 2180
Chris Raper @chrisraper.bsky.social · 22/09/2026Interesting catch in Tilehurst last night, amongst the Lunar Underwings & Square-spot Rustics ... a Garden Cockroach (Ectobius vittiventris), which seems pretty unusual this far west. #teammoth #ukmoths #cockroach #ectobius 0171
Chris Raper @chrisraper.bsky.social · 19/09/2026Thanks Martin, yes I got it to Dioryctria and all the species close to it seem to like conifers, such as pines, so it explains why it looks odd here in a relatively pine-free area. :) 011
Chris Raper @chrisraper.bsky.social · 19/09/2026Does anyone have any idea which knot-horn this might be (Reading area, last night)? I'm coming up blank here - looks interesting but I can't place it. #ukmoths #teammoth 152
Chris Raper @chrisraper.bsky.social · 19/09/2026Clancy's has really arrived here this year - we've had L-album once a few years ago but the "big migration of 2026" has brought in tons of stuff in so many groups. Ironically, my best Clancy's catch this year was in Beaminster, which was one of the most westerly records yet! :) 010
Chris Raper @chrisraper.bsky.social · 19/09/2026Good catch in Tilehurst last night: Clancy's Rustic (2), L-album Wainscot, Acleris cristana (Tufted Button), Oncocera semirubella (Rosy-striped Knot-Horn), Archips podana (Large Fruit-tree Tortrix), Barred Sallow, Meal Moth, Satellite, Black Rustic. #ukmoths #teammoth 1190
Chris Raper @chrisraper.bsky.social · 14/09/2026Yes, that's definitely correct - they are lovely flies :) 110
Chris Raper @chrisraper.bsky.social · 13/09/2026Not a bad night in Reading - 3x Clancy's Rustics including a very rubbed one ... the last photo is a Small Mottled Willow, just for comparison. #ukmoths #teammoth 0131
Chris Raper @chrisraper.bsky.social · 06/09/2026Not a bad night in West Dorset - first ever Clancy's Rustic and the most westerly record on iNaturalist, it seems. Also, Rosy Rustic, Barred Hook-tip & Delicate. #ukmoths #teammoth 0171
Chris Raper @chrisraper.bsky.social · 30/08/2026Should be fairly easy to ID too, if the keys by Val are still relevant? :) 020
Chris Raper @chrisraper.bsky.social · 30/08/2026Yes, they are a vastly under-recorded group and yet they must be caught a lot by moth trappers. The only problem really is the need for a decent microscope to ID them or willing experts like Gavin Broad to send them to. 110
Chris Raper @chrisraper.bsky.social · 25/08/2026Yes, saw loads in West Dorset (Beaminster, Powerstock & Cogden), including a few pale-form females. Always lovely to see :) 020
Chris Raper @chrisraper.bsky.social · 25/08/2026Should still be Tachina fera rather than the new Tachina magnicornis :) 010
Chris Raper @chrisraper.bsky.social · 23/08/2026I think it has to be Periscepsia carbonaria, with that heavy wing colouration ... very ncie :) 110
Chris Raper @chrisraper.bsky.social · 21/08/2026Definitely Siphona and probably geniculata but you need a specimen to be sure of the ID :) 010
Chris Raper @chrisraper.bsky.social · 14/08/2026Yeah, definitely a male so I'd go with T. magnicornis, though I can't see the bits clearly in this photos :D 100
Chris Raper @chrisraper.bsky.social · 14/08/2026I'm guessing male - can you try hooking the genital capsule out? If make then it's very much a T. magnicornis and it would explain the "half long" claws ... shorter than fera but longer than a female magnicornis :D 100
Chris Raper @chrisraper.bsky.social · 14/08/2026Very nice - I bet the phasiines will love the heat this year :) 010
Chris Raper @chrisraper.bsky.social · 14/08/2026It's a fair candidate for T. magnicornis ... is it male or female? I'm having difficulty with that underside photo and T.mag males have proclinate orbitals 110
Chris Raper @chrisraper.bsky.social · 10/08/2026The Hummingbird Hawks this year are exceptional - everywhere I went in Dorset they were there on Buddleia or Purple Loosestrife :) I was happy with these snaps on my old Powershot G15 #teammoth #ukmoths 0204
Chris Raper @chrisraper.bsky.social · 10/08/2026Last West Dorset trap before heading home yielded a new one for me - Gem 010
Chris Raper @chrisraper.bsky.social · 10/08/2026That's a good tip - they have been over wintering here a while now but this year should see the local population really expand its range :) 020
Chris Raper @chrisraper.bsky.social · 10/08/2026They've all but replaced Clay in my Thames Valley garden ... I get one or two Clay now but a lot more White Point. They seem to have arrived in the last 5 years 010
Chris Raper @chrisraper.bsky.social · 08/08/2026Thanks - yeah I came to the same conclusion ... I couldn't be that lucky! ;) 100
Chris Raper @chrisraper.bsky.social · 08/08/2026Well, there you go again - another "maybe I won't put it out", cold night and then you get your first ever Radford's Flame Shoulder! Also got a Flame Shoulder to compare it to :) #teammoth #ukmoths 1220
Chris Raper @chrisraper.bsky.social · 07/08/2026It certainly looks like what I’ve been calling Enicospilus ramidulus :) 010
Chris Raper @chrisraper.bsky.social · 07/08/2026Lots of Clouded Yellows down in Dorset - including a few pale forms like this female contrasting to a normal coloured male seen on the previous day. I’m assuming they’re not the Pale Clouded Yellow but I’m not sure if I’d know the difference. 171
Chris Raper @chrisraper.bsky.social · 07/08/2026They are rather jolly - I remember getting a few in French Guianan malaise traps 000
Chris Raper @chrisraper.bsky.social · 07/08/2026One of those cold morning traps where you begin to wonder why you put it out ... then you get a Rosy Rustic and realise it was worth the effort :) also Knot Grass, Oak Hook-tip and Vestal. #teammoth #ukmoths 0230
Chris Raper @chrisraper.bsky.social · 06/08/2026Thanks Steve - yes it looked very distinctive - plus the wavy lines and lack of any white spots on the lower corner of the wing. Wow, best moth in a long time then on an otherwise pretty poor/cold night :) 110
Chris Raper @chrisraper.bsky.social · 06/08/2026Mystery pug moth from last night in West Dorset. Coming up on apps as variously Channel Islands Pug, Thyme Pug, Wormwood Pug or Currant Pug ... the only one that looks remotely OK is Channel Islands Pug but is that at all likely? I guess it has been a good migrant year! #teammoth #ukmoths 180
Chris Raper @chrisraper.bsky.social · 06/08/2026Found a really nice Cylindromyia brassicaria on Fleabane yesterday, around Beaminster - first time I'm caught one in the UK so rather chuffed :) Very easy to spot as the body is so long and it's a bigger fly than the Eriothrix rufomaculata on the same flowers. 060
Chris Raper @chrisraper.bsky.social · 26/07/2026Yes, they are a bit tricky - hence me using more visible features in my blog. The leg bristles work well in a mainland European context as it help to split off some tricky species that we don't get here :) 010
Chris Raper @chrisraper.bsky.social · 25/07/2026Yes, I'd label those C. brassicaria too ... they tick all the features in my mini key: tachinidae.org.uk/blog/disting...tachinidae.org.ukDistinguishing Cylindromyia spp. – Tachinid Recording Scheme 110
Chris Raper @chrisraper.bsky.social · 25/07/2026Very nice - glad you found it easily - Thesium is very obvious on site and the mildew is usually pretty easy to spot. The dry weather probably in't helping it much though! 010
Chris Raper @chrisraper.bsky.social · 08/07/2026Thanks! :) If you can take a specimen then that's the best way and I can take it and confirm the ID 100% for you :) 110
Chris Raper @chrisraper.bsky.social · 08/07/2026Yes, it's a nice, friendly little club and everyone plays in a good spirit - plenty of handshakes and "well played" after every game :) Just need a bit more coaching on how to handle spin and to tighten up my forehand, which has been terrible since my shoulder injury 000
Chris Raper @chrisraper.bsky.social · 08/07/2026Of course they are ... just some may be more noteworthy than others ;) 000