extended:-very small, 3-8mm; small, 9-14mm; medium-sized, 15-20mm;
large 21-30mm; very large, over 31mm. To facilitate comparison, the wingspan
range of the macrolepidoptera is 14-135mm, that of the microlepidoptera
3-41mm (Meyrick, 1928). Pugs would be classed as medium sized to large,
carpets as large to very large.
Better than any description 1 can give are the drawings made by Mr
E.S.Bradford and Mr E.P.Sayers. I doubt if any other county list is
embellished with art work of such high quality.
The names of the species.
The nomenclature is that of Kloet & Hinks (1972) as amended by Bradley &
Fletcher (1979), including the Addenda & Corrigenda on p. 136. The only
exception is Eucosma catoptrana, my authority for which is Bradley,
Tremewan & Smith (1979). Synonyms are added only where the name has been
changed from that given by Kloet & Hincks or confusion could arise over
names which have been interchanged between species. English names have
never been used by microlepidopterists.
Status
Res. Resident, i.e. recorded since 1960 and known or presumed to breed
in Essex.
Mig. Migrant, i.e. an immigrant from the Continent, whether a regular
migrant or a casual visitor.
Vag. Vagrant, i.e. not considered to have bred in Essex but to have flown
in from a neighbouring county.
Adv. Adventive, i.e. accidentally introduced by man, e.g. as a larva in
imported fruit or grain.
NNR. No recent record, i.e. not recorded since 1959, whether extinct or
overlooked in Essex.
Span of the records.
Lack of space prevents the inclusion of more than a few dates in the text;
therefore the dates of the earliest and latest records are given. Actual dates are
unqualified; those in parentheses are of the publications in which undated prior
records appear. Thus "(1854)" may refer to a record in Wood's Index
Entomologicus which must have been made prior to 1854. Occasionally the
authority for the most recent record antedates that for the earliest, e.g. in
Hedya atropunctana. The records in Huggins' MS are undated if he regarded
the species as still present; such records are given as (1975).
Foodplants.
The foodplant is often the key to an insect's distribution, especially if the
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