204
THE ESSEX NATURALIST
Lepidoptera in South-East Essex
in 1953
BY H. C. HUGGINS, F.R.E.S.
I was absent in ireland nearly all July and the first week in August, but
have had a very good season, taken as a whole, partially because
installed one of the new mercury-vapour moth traps in my garden at
Westcliff-on-Sea. I did not, however, work this later than midnight, and
seldom as late as this as I feared keeping neighbours awake. I have since
heard that this fear was groundless, also that I gained credit for patriotism
as it was thought that I had floodlit the house in honour of the Coronation!
Migrants have been patchy in occurrence, but most interesting. The
feature of the year has been the Silver-Y (Plusia gamma L.), Of this moth
there have been constant waves of arrivals, one night perhaps 30 or 40
insects, usually worn, the next only one or two, as the moths had passed
on. The specimens have been of several types, one night all pale grey,
another night much more purple, and so on.
The last moth, probably home-bred, as it was a solitary insect and for
the previous fortnight there had only been ones and twos, was on 17th
November. On 24th August there were a number of the small silvery grey-
form, sub-species gammina Staudinger, only half the size of the normal
insect. I set. a couple only, as I was busy, but this was evidently an
immigrant rush as, to my regret, I saw no more. On 19th October I took
a very nice variety, with the forewings of a very deep purple-brown. This
appears to be a very rare insect as there are only seven at Tring Museum.
I showed this and the gammina to Dr. Cockayne on a recent visit.
On '29th September I took a small, dark Phycitid in the trap which
puzzled me for some time. I took it to South Kensington, where no decision
was at once reached, but after further correspondence it has been definitely
identified as a dark variation of the female of Heterographis oblitella Zell.
Only two, or possibly three, of this South European species have been
previously found in the British Isles, in the Isle of Wight in 1874-6, so its
reappearance after nearly 80 years is of some interest.
Ou 19th September I took three larvae of the very rare Toadflax Brocade
(Calophasia lunula Hufn.) near here. I was rather late, as there were
signs that others had been feeding. This species, hitherto almost unknown
in Britain, has been found as a larva in many parts of Kent and Sussex
this year.
On 29th October a perfect male of the Narrow-barred Carpet (Nyctosia
obstipata Fabr.) was in the trap.
Of the usual immigrants, the Clouded Yellow butterfly (Colias croceus
Foure.) was very scarce, and I saw no Pale Clouded Yellows (Colias hyale
L.), but there were a few Humming-bird Hawk moths (Macroglossa
stellatarum L.) and plenty of Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui L.) and Red