White Moth ID Please

NickCantle · #1 (**permalink**) 16-05-2009, 11:06 PM

Hullo all,

Would anyone be so kind as to help me with ID'ing this little beauty found today;

All comments and help appreciated

Nick

welsh.lensman · #2 (**permalink**) 16-05-2009, 11:45 PM

Hi Nick, it looks like one of the wave's, I'd go for the Cream wave - Scopula floslactata.

Regards

Wayne.

CapAndBracket · #3 (**permalink**) 17-05-2009, 08:30 AM

I would suggest Ribband wave Idaea aversata. a well datailed image
compared with my point and shoot photography.

Cheers J.P.

GuyF · #4 (**permalink**) 17-05-2009, 09:18 AM

I'd go for a Small Fan-footed Wave - Idaea biselata, it's a very nice photo!
Guy

Jenny W · #5 (**permalink**) 17-05-2009, 11:34 AM

I think it's a Small Fan-footed Wave - bit of a funny looking one though. It's not a Riband or a Cream.

NickCantle · #6 (**permalink**) 17-05-2009, 02:46 PM

Thanks for the suggestions people, though I must say it looks more like a Cream wave as Wayne suggested, than any of the others

Elmbrook · #7 (**permalink**) 19-05-2009, 08:39 AM

Looks like a Small Fan-footed Wave to me. I compared it with my own reference photo, and the line fine structure is more distinct but agrees well with my image and the dark spots are in the correct orientation. Beautiful photograph .

Elmbrook

DaveSlade · #8 (**permalink**) 19-05-2009, 10:13 AM

I'm with Wayne on this, it's Cream Wave - based on size of the discal spots and the colour and shape of the crosslines.

poschiavanus · #9 (**permalink**) 19-05-2009, 01:14 PM

Initially, like Elmbrook, I'd have been happy to place this as a Small Fan-footed Wave. It certainly looks similar to one of my reference photos. However, since yesterday I've checked a couple of other reliable photo sources, and a couple of county moth books. These all support welsh.lensman's id of Cream Wave.

For me the important point is the size of the spots on both forewing and hindwing. All photos I've checked of Small Fan-footed Wave have larger and darker spots. Waring remarks that forewing spots are unusual on the Cream Wave: but there's a difference between looking at a crisp photo of a fresh individual and one in a pot in the field.

One other point is that phenology also supports Cream Wave. The Norfolk moths site only shows a few records in the first half of June for Small Fan-footed, and the moth book has similar details.

Thanks Nick for an excellent picture which has provided a good incentive to hone up on a few moths!