Pitsford Reservoir Top Twenty Macro Moths
The “Top Twenty” moths for the year numerically, with the 1999 totals and previous position in parenthesis, were:
Species |
Number |
First date |
Last date |
| Large Yellow Underwing | 3402 (1251 – 2nd) | 12 June |
17 Oct. |
| Small Square-spot | 1371 (549 – 7th) | 19 May |
4 Oct |
| Setaceous Hebrew Character | 1290 (644 – 5th) | 31 May |
22 Oct |
| Smoky Wainscot | 1054 (2337 – 1st) | 19 June |
22 Sept |
| Square-spot Rustic | 1000 (634 – 6th) | 28 July |
26 Sept |
| Common Wainscot | 823 (512 – 9th) | 14 June |
18 Oct |
| Heart and Dart | 733 (291 –13th) | 2 June |
13 Aug |
| Common Rustic | 704 (534 – 8th) | 2 July |
31 Aug |
| Common Footman | 634 (725 3rd) | 17 June |
18 Aug |
| Dark Arches | 510 (409 10th) | 15 June |
25 Aug |
| Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing | 491 (272 – 14th) | 18 July |
7 Sept |
| Flounced Rustic | 441 (647 – 4th) | 31 July |
14 Sept |
| Lunar Underwing | 430 (Not included) | 10 Sept. |
7 Oct |
| Hebrew Character | 395 (340 – 12th) | 22 Feb. |
25 May |
| Flame Shoulder | 374 (239 - 16th) | 8 May |
15 Oct |
| Rustic | 338 (373 – 11th) | 14 June |
12 Aug |
| Mottled Rustic | 319 (Not included) | 12 June |
19 Aug |
| Angle Shades | 277 (Not included) | 28 April |
20 Dec |
| Brimstone Moth | 250 (213 – 19th) | 13 May |
23 Sept |
| Lesser Yellow Underwing | 223 (223 – 18th) | 5 July |
7 Oct |
As can be seen from the table above, three species have entered the “Top Twenty” – Lunar Underwing, Mottled Rustic and Angle Shades. Double Square-spot (147 in 2000), Clouded Drab (192) and Riband Wave (203), dropped out.
Large Yellow Underwing, Small Square-spot and Setaceous Hebrew Character showed very significant increases, whilst Smoky Wainscot, with 1054 during the year, was less than half the number taken in 1999.
In all 21,720 moths were taken in the two permanent traps compared to 17,243 in the previous year. There were 12,141 in Trap 1 (near the boat moorings) and 9,579 in Trap 2.