This is week 6 of Masters student Stuart Brooker adventures in moth trapping. Stuart is trapping moths in the woodlands around Durham University and this week he hit the 100 species mark!
Here is Stuart's report: "Pretty? Garish? Or just plain wacky? Buff Arches was quite literally the stand-out moth from this week’s catch. Like Clay Triple-lines from Week 3, this species’ UK distribution is very close to its northern extreme here in Durham – records extend into Northumberland but its range currently falls short of the border with Scotland.
Further highlights include the ‘cuddly’ Drinker and the Dark Spectacle – whose name is derived from the shape on the thorax, which, when viewed head-on, resembles a pair of Biggles-like flying-goggles. Mottled Beauty was freshly-emerged and recorded in good numbers, and Barred Red was a new species for me. Also, I hit the 100 species mark this week!"
Here is Stuart's report: "Pretty? Garish? Or just plain wacky? Buff Arches was quite literally the stand-out moth from this week’s catch. Like Clay Triple-lines from Week 3, this species’ UK distribution is very close to its northern extreme here in Durham – records extend into Northumberland but its range currently falls short of the border with Scotland.
Further highlights include the ‘cuddly’ Drinker and the Dark Spectacle – whose name is derived from the shape on the thorax, which, when viewed head-on, resembles a pair of Biggles-like flying-goggles. Mottled Beauty was freshly-emerged and recorded in good numbers, and Barred Red was a new species for me. Also, I hit the 100 species mark this week!"
 Buff Arches (Habrosyne pyritoides) |  Drinker (Euthrix potatoria) |
Dark Spectacle (Abrostola triplasia)
 Mottled Beauty (Alcis repandata) |  Barred Red (Hylaea fasciana) |
Stay tuned weekly for more 'Stu's Top Moths' or follow us on twitter for updates and photos of moths and other wildlife around Durham University!
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