MOTH & BUTTERFLY GROUP NEWSLETTER ISSUE No.7 JUNE 2007

Editor: Jon Baker (County Moth Recorder for VC44 Carms)

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the 7th Newsletter. I am sorry it has been so very long since the last one (last October) but I think many of you know the reasons for this. I will try to produce a few more this year so as to keep the impetus of the group moving forward. I must thank those who have kept the group active during the last few months, when I have been unable to, most notably Martin Lovell, who has done great work organizing field meetings.

2007, so far, has been a most peculiar year. March and April were more like high summer at times and the effect of this has been to cause our insect populations to become totally confused. The main article below deals with how “earliest dates” – the record of the earliest a species has been recorded during a year in the adult stage – have fallen across the board, some by spectacular (and worrying) amounts.

Although I have done next to no mothing myself, in comparison to my usual efforts, thankfully there are several very keen people in the county, creating some great data. Hopefully we can continue to encourage more people to take up regular trapping – and submitting data to me. At present over 90% of the records I’ve received this year has been from just three people.

Many thanks to Ian Morgan for his article on lost Carmarthenshire butterflies which appears later in this edition. Apologies that it took so long for me to publish it!

HIGHLIGHTS OF 2007 (so far): Records are mine (JSB) if not noted otherwise.

380 RED-TIPPED CLEARWING Synanthedon formicaeformis One seen on 1st June, though unfortunately not caught, by Ian Morgan, at Pontnewydd (SN437073). This constitutes the 2nd County Record – the first being another daytime observation by Ian (June 1990, at Coed Gwempa, SN433116). Although I would obviously prefer any clearwing record to be supported by a photograph or specimen, I am more than happy to accept this record from Ian’s account. Let’s hope it isn’t another 17 years before one is seen again.

1061 Acleris literana Caught by Martin Lovell on 26th February in Brechfa Forest (SN5532) and identified from photos. This species has been caught 8 times during the 1980s at Rhandirmwyn by David Davies. The only other record is from April 1995 at Gelli Aur CP (Steve Lucas). Given that it feeds on oak and is very distinctive, it seems remarkably rare.

1654 FIGURE OF 80 Tethea ocularis Ian Morgan recorded this species on three occasions in the area – twice from his Pwll garden (SN4601) and once at Erw Las, Llwynhendy (SS5399) Previous county records: 21 (+2 Rothamsted), the majority from the south-east of the county. 1661 ORANGE UNDERWING Archiearis parthenias A record was received from a visiting entomologist, Derek Coleman, who saw two around birches by day at Dinas RSPB reserve (SN783467) on 8th April. This is only the third time this species has been recorded in the county, with previous records at SN3825 in 2002 (JSB) and SN7747 in 1992 (R A Hughes). Yet to be photographed in the county it remains on the ‘A2 list’ of the county database.

1827 FREYER’S PUG Eupithecia intricata Caught at Llanelli North Dock (SS4999) on 6th June by Simeon Jones, and determined by JSB. There are just 16 (+10R) previous county records, those being from very few sites – 14 from my garden in (in SN31), and singles from Ian Morgan’s garden (in SN40) and Steve Lucas’ garden (in SN61). All the Rothamsted records are from Rhandirmwyn (SN74). I would expect this species to follow in the footsteps of Blair’s Shoulder-knot, given that it feeds on cypresses and other garden conifers.

1859 SLOE PUG Pasiphila chloerata Following on from the 1st VC record last year, another was caught just a few hundred yards away, this time in Ian Morgan’s garden at Pwll (SN4601) on 6th June (det:JSB).

Photo: JSB

1873 WELSH WAVE Venusia cambrica Previous records: 13(+8R). 10km squares it has been recorded from are: SN32, SN33, SN53 and SN54. The Rothamsted records are from SN74 (with one suspect one from SN23). Brechfa Forest is the best place to find this species. Seen in the Gorlech Valley in Brechfa (SN5537) by Martin Lovell on 22nd May. Would be nice to get some records from outside of the currently known range, perhaps in SN42 or SN43. 1901 LITTLE THORN Cepphis advenaria In the introduction to my review of 2006 I listed this species on the county RED list. I have never found any record of this in any of the data I inherited when I became county recorder, but was aware that Steve Lucas had listed it in a provisional summary of the county’s moths a decade ago – on what evidence, I do not know. This species can now be upgraded to Category A1, with a photographed individual caught in the Gorlech Valley in Brechfa (SN5537) by Martin Lovell on 22nd May. Until such a time as an old record comes to light, this stands as the 1st VC44 record of this lovely species. Hopefully it will be found at other locations in Brechfa and beyond. It lives on bilberry and bramble, and flies by day as well as at night.

Photo: Martin Lovell

1979 LIME HAWK-MOTH Mimas tiliae Ian Morgan had added this to the county list in June 2005, when he caught a single in his Pwll garden (SN4601). So far this year he has caught it on 6 further dates in his Pwll garden, and also in a garden on the other side of Llanelli at Llwynhendy (SS5399), clearly showing that the species is very well established in the Llanelli coastal area. Given that lime Tilia is not especially common in the area, Ian hypothesises that elm Ulmus may be the foodplant in the Llanelli area.

1996 ALDER KITTEN Furcula bicuspis Previous county records: 7 times in SN61, and on single occasions in SN32, SN42 and last year in SN53. A scarce species in the county and very local. Caught again this year in SN53, this time by Martin Lovell at SN5739 on 3rd May (and photographed).

Photo: Martin Lovell

2043 ORANGE FOOTMAN Eilema sororcula Recorded in 2005 and 2006 in Pembrey Forest, this species is looking like it may be spreading, with a 3rd county record on 4th June along the coast at Pwll (SN4601) in Ian Morgan’s garden trap. Look out for it turning up at other sites in the next couple of years.

2088 HEART AND CLUB Agrotis clavis There are 27 previous records of this species. 26 are from the SE coastal area around Llanelli and Pembrey, with the other being from the western coastal cliffs at Telpyn. A typical record on 6th June at Pwll (SN4601, IKM, det:JSB) is the only one so far. Please do remember that any claims away from the known areas will need to be backed up by a photograph or specimen.

2140 WHITE-MARKED Cerastis leucographa An excellent number of records from its “stronghold” in the Brechfa area (SN53), with Martin Lovell recording it on 6 occasions this spring (up to 3 a night). Previous county records are: once in SN12 (2006), and three times in SN53 (2005 & 2006). There are 19 Rothamsted records (17 from SN74, and singles from SN23 and SN52).

2145 NUTMEG Discestra trifolii There are only eight previous county records of this species: all coastal in the SE corner of the county (3 from SN40, 4 from SS49 and 1 from SS59). One caught at Pwll (SN4601) by Ian Morgan and confirmed from specimen by JSB on 12th May is the 9th county record, and considerably the earliest.

2152 WHITE COLON Sideridis albicolon All modern records have come from the coastal area between Llanelli and Pembrey, with six records in the last ten years. Perhaps becoming more common, or maybe due to more trapping being done in the right areas. One caught at Llanelli North Dock (SS4999) by Simeon Jones on 6th June (identified by IKM and confirmed by JSB).

2162 GLAUCOUS SHEARS Papestra biren Previous county records: just four from SN61, SN71 and SN32, with 15 Rothamsted records (13 from SN74 and 2 from SN23). Last recorded on the Black Mountain in 2004, so nice to have a great record from this year. Martin Lovell caught 11 on Mynydd Llanllwni (SN5138) on 15th May. A new 10km square for a species that is likely to be more widespread than current records suggest.

Photo: JSB

2184 NORTHERN DRAB Orthosia opima With the first county record only made in 2006 by Julian Wormald, it is great to have such a solid second record, albeit from the same area. Martin Lovell recorded 13 on Mynydd Llanybydder (SN5339) on 9th April.

2235 TAWNY PINION Lithophane semibrunnea No previous claims of this species have been supported well enough, given its possible confusion with dark Pale Pinions. So a fully documented individual on 28th April in Ian Morgan’s garden trap at Pwll (SN4601) was most welcome. This constitutes the first record for VC44.

Photo: JSB

EARLIEST DATES

2007 has been a somewhat disturbed and freaky year so far. The ludicrously unseasonable weather in March and April has thrown nature into confusion. This can clearly be seen in the emergence dates of moths. So far (to 7th June), I have received records of 209 species of macro-moths in the county. Of the 197 where there are records on file for the “earliest date” – that is the earliest a species has emerged as an adult from a chrysalis, 115 of those have either equalled or broken the record, often by quite amazing margins. 2003 was notable for many species breaking records in this way, but 2007 has gone far and beyond what we saw happen then.

Of the 115 species with new records: 9 equalled the previously known date 55 beat it by 1-7 days 26 beat it by 8 to 14 days 10 beat it by 15 to 21 days 15 beat it by 22 or more days

NB. I have done next to no mothing myself this year, so that must also be considered a factor. If I had been able to, I am sure that the data I would be looking at would be even more extreme. The following table lists those species that have so far been reported to me in the adult stage, the previous record dates and the amount by which this has been beaten. No. English Name 1km sq OBS DATE pre-2007 !!! 17 Common Swift SN4601 IM 30/04/2007 26/05/2004 26 380 Red-tipped Clearwing SN4307 IM 01/06/2007 12/06/1990 11 1638 Fox Moth SN4601 IM 30/04/2007 05/05/2005 5 1643 Emperor Moth SN5742 ML 12/04/2007 12/04/2003 0 1645 Scalloped Hook-tip SN5739 ML 28/04/2007 28/05/1970 30 1646 Oak Hook-tip SN2723 LW 15/05/2007 20/05/1995 5 1648 Pebble Hook-tip SN4123 AJ 29/04/2007 14/04/2003 1651 Chinese Character SN4601 IM 28/04/2007 14/04/2003 1652 Peach Blossom SN3623 JB 14/04/2007 04/05/2006 20 1654 Figure of Eighty SN4601 IM 26/05/2007 29/05/2005 3 1657 Common Lutestring SN2723 LW 22/05/2007 09/05/2000 1659 Yellow Horned SN5739 ML 07/03/2007 10/03/1997 3 1660 Frosted Green SN6844 DC 08/04/2007 01/04/2000 1661 Orange Underwing SN7846 DC 08/04/2007 16/04/2002 8 1663 March Moth SN53 ML 20/02/2007 25/02/1971 5 1674 Little Emerald SN5537 ML 22/05/2007 16/05/1988 1681 Clay Triple-lines SN3623 JB, LW 04/05/2007 06/05/2002 2 1682 Blood-vein SN4601 IM 23/05/2007 19/05/1990 1690 Small Blood-vein SN4601 IM 06/06/2007 13/06/2003 7 1693 Cream Wave SN2723 LW 01/05/2007 16/04/2003 1713 Riband Wave SS4999 SJ, JB 06/06/2007 30/05/2003 1719 Oblique Carpet SN2723 LW 24/05/2007 20/05/1995 1722 Flame Carpet SN5432 ML 20/04/2007 21/04/2002 1 1724 Red Twin-spot Carpet SN4601 IM 11/04/2007 14/04/2003 3 1725 Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet SN6738 DC 09/04/2007 20/04/2002 11 1727 Silver-ground Carpet SN2723 LW 02/05/2007 02/05/2002 0 1728 Garden Carpet SN3919 JB 26/04/2007 27/04/1999 1 1738 Common Carpet SN2723 LW 05/05/2007 15/04/2003 1742 Yellow Shell SN3919 JB 18/05/2007 29/05/2003 11 1746 Shoulder Stripe SN5739 ML 25/03/2007 05/02/1992 1747 Streamer SN5739 ML 11/04/2007 25/03/2003 1748 Beautiful Carpet SN2723 LW 24/05/2007 16/05/1988 1750 Water Carpet SN3623 JB 12/04/2007 13/03/1993 1751 Devon Carpet SN5739 ML 28/04/2007 21/04/2002 1752 Purple Bar SN5138 ML 15/05/2007 10/05/2006 1759 Small Phoenix SN3623 JB 12/04/2007 14/04/2003 2 1760 Red-green Carpet SN5532 ML 14/03/2007 overwinters 1764 Common Marbled Carpet SN3919 JB 02/05/2007 04/05/2002 2 1768 Grey Pine Carpet SN5437 ML 17/05/2007 06/05/2002 1769 Spruce Carpet SN5739 ML 13/04/2007 12/04/2003 1773 Broken-barred Carpet SN3623 JB, LW 04/05/2007 15/04/2003 1775 Mottled Grey SN5739 ML 22/03/2007 11/03/1971 1776 Green Carpet SN3604 JB 04/05/2007 20/04/2002 1778 May Highflyer SN5739 ML 28/04/2007 07/05/1995 9 1779 Ruddy Highflyer SN5739 ML 28/04/2007 24/04/2005 1802 Rivulet SN3623 JB, LW 04/05/2007 05/05/1999 1 1807 Grass Rivulet SN4601 IM 06/06/2007 12/05/2002 1808 Sandy Carpet SN4601 IM 30/04/2007 21/05/2001 21 1817 Foxglove Pug SN5739 ML 28/04/2007 28/04/1993 0 1819 Mottled Pug SN3623 JB, LW 04/05/2007 10/05/2006 6 1825 Lime-speck Pug SN4601 IM 23/05/2007 23/05/1996 0 1827 Freyer's Pug SS4999 SJ, JB 06/06/2007 31/05/2003 1832 Currant Pug SN2723 LW 24/05/2007 09/05/2002 1834 Common Pug SN3623 JB 14/04/2007 16/04/2003 2 1837 Grey Pug SN5539 ML 05/05/2007 29/04/2006 1846 Narrow-winged Pug SN3623 JB 12/04/2007 18/04/1992 6 1852 Brindled Pug SN5739 ML 13/03/2007 16/03/2002 3 1853 Oak-tree Pug SN3623 JB 14/04/2007 19/04/2002 5 1856 Larch Pug SN2723 LW 24/05/2007 15/04/2003 1857 Dwarf Pug SN5404 JB, IM 03/05/2007 06/05/2002 3 1858 V-Pug SN5739 ML 13/04/2007 06/04/1995 1859 Sloe Pug SN4601 IM 06/06/2007 17/06/2006 11 1860 Green Pug SN4601 IM 06/06/2007 11/06/2001 5 1862 Double-striped Pug SN6738 DC 09/04/2007 10/04/2004 1 1867 Treble-bar SN5702 IM 07/05/2007 14/05/1990 7 1873 Welsh Wave SN5537 ML 22/05/2007 09/06/2003 18 1875 Small White Wave SN2723 LW 02/05/2007 02/05/1999 0 1877 Waved Carpet SN5537 ML 22/05/2007 30/05/2003 8 1881 Early Tooth-striped SN5739 ML 02/04/2007 16/03/1990 1882 Small Seraphim SN4601 IM 30/04/2007 25/05/1994 25 1883 Yellow-barred Brindle SN2723 LW 22/05/2007 19/04/2002 1887 Clouded Border SN3623 JB 14/04/2007 05/05/2005 21 1890 Sharp-angled Peacock SN4601 IM 11/04/2007 06/05/2002 25 1893 Tawny-barred Angle SN5404 JB, IM 03/05/2007 11/05/2006 8 1894 Latticed Heath SN4905 IM 05/05/2007 04/05/1990 1901 Little Thorn SN5537 ML 22/05/2007 NEW 1902 Brown Silver-line SN3623 JB 14/04/2007 12/04/2003 1903 Barred Umber SN5739 ML 03/05/2007 30/04/1999 1904 Scorched Wing SN3623 JB, LW 04/05/2007 07/05/2004 3 1906 Brimstone Moth SN4601 IM 11/04/2007 14/04/2003 3 1909 Speckled Yellow SN2723 LW 15/05/2007 18/04/2003 1917 Early Thorn SN5739 ML 07/03/2007 08/03/1999 1 1919 Purple Thorn SN3623 JB 12/04/2007 03/04/1999 1920 Scalloped Hazel SN2723 LW 27/04/2007 08/04/2000 1926 Pale Brindled Beauty SN5739 ML 29/01/2007 unclear 1927 Brindled Beauty SN5739 ML 02/04/2007 03/04/2003 1 1930 Oak Beauty SN5739 ML 07/03/2007 25/02/1971 1931 Peppered Moth SN2723 LW 27/04/2007 02/05/1999 5 1932 Spring Usher SN5739 ML 17/02/2007 02/02/1973 1934 Dotted Border SN5739 ML 17/02/2007 05/02/1992 1936 Waved Umber SN2723 LW 20/04/2007 16/04/2003 1937 Willow Beauty SN4601 IM 02/05/2007 28/05/2003 26 1941 Mottled Beauty SN2723 LW 21/05/2007 19/05/1999 1945 Brussels Lace SN4601 IM 23/05/2007 03/06/1997 11 1947 Engrailed SN5834 ML 09/03/2007 28/02/1999 1949 Square Spot SN3623 JB 14/04/2007 12/04/2003 1951 Grey Birch SN5739 ML 11/04/2007 24/04/2006 13 1952 Common Heath SN30 JB 04/05/2007 19/04/2002 1955 Common White Wave SN5404 JB, IM 03/05/2007 05/05/2005 2 1956 Common Wave SN5739 ML 28/04/2007 05/05/2005 7 1957 White-pinion Spotted SN2723 LW 05/05/2007 05/05/2002 0 1958 Clouded Silver SN3623 JB 14/04/2007 19/04/2002 5 1960 Early Moth SN5739 ML 14/02/2007 13/01/1992 1961 Light Emerald SN4601 IM 19/05/2007 02/06/1998 14 1968 Yellow Belle SN3604 JB 04/05/2007 23/04/2003 1976 Privet Hawk-moth SN4601 IM 02/05/2007 21/05/2003 19 1979 Lime Hawk-moth SN4601 IM 28/04/2007 21/06/2005 54 1980 Eyed Hawk-moth SN4601 IM 02/05/2007 04/05/1995 2 1981 Poplar Hawk-moth SN4601 IM 27/04/2007 04/05/1995 7 1991 Elephant Hawk-moth SN4601 IM 04/05/2007 17/05/2003 13 1994 Buff-tip SN4601 IM 21/04/2007 02/05/1997 11 1995 Puss Moth SN4601 IM 11/04/2007 12/04/2003 1 1996 Alder Kitten SN5739 ML 03/05/2007 07/05/1995 4 1997 Sallow Kitten SN4601 IM 28/04/2007 16/04/2003 1999 Lobster Moth SN3623 JB 14/04/2007 24/04/2004 10 2000 Iron Prominent SN4601 IM 11/04/2007 27/04/1999 16 2003 Pebble Prominent SN3623 JB 14/04/2007 12/04/2004 2005 Great Prominent SN6844 DC 08/04/2007 08/04/2000 0 2006 Lesser Swallow Prominent SN5739 ML 17/04/2007 04/04/2002 2007 Swallow Prominent SN4601 IM 11/04/2007 05/05/2005 24 2008 Coxcomb Prominent SN5739 ML 13/04/2007 09/04/2003 2011 Pale Prominent SN2723 LW 27/04/2007 14/04/2003 2014 Marbled Brown SN5404 JB, IM 03/05/2007 07/05/2004 4 2015 Lunar Marbled Brown SN6844 DC 08/04/2007 03/04/1999 2028 Pale Tussock SN4601 IM 11/04/2007 15/04/2003 4 2039 Red-necked Footman SN4601 IM 06/06/2007 12/05/2005 2043 Orange Footman SN4601 IM 04/06/2007 25/05/2005 2060 White Ermine SN5432 ML 20/04/2007 30/04/1990 10 2061 Buff Ermine SN3623 JB, LW 04/05/2007 08/05/1993 4 2063 Muslin Moth SN2723 LW 08/04/2007 09/04/2003 1 2064 Ruby Tiger SN3522 EC 04/04/2007 14/04/2003 10 2069 Cinnabar SN4601 IM 28/04/2007 09/04/2003 2078 Least Black Arches SN3623 JB 14/04/2007 19/04/2002 5 2087 Turnip Moth SN4601 IM 26/05/2007 14/05/1997 2088 Heart & Club SN4601 IM 06/06/2007 07/06/2005 1 2089 Heart & Dart SN3919 JB 21/04/2007 06/05/2003 15 2092 Shuttle-shaped Dart SN4601 IM 27/04/2007 25/04/1997 2098 Flame SN4601 IM 21/04/2007 23/05/1998 32 2102 Flame Shoulder SN3623 JB 14/04/2007 09/04/2003 2107 Large Yellow Underwing SN4601 IM 12/05/2007 20/05/2006 8 2118 True Lover's Knot SN5437 ML 17/05/2007 30/05/1995 13 2120 Ingrailed Clay SN2723 LW 21/05/2007 15/05/1995 2123 Small Square-spot SN5739 ML 12/05/2007 13/05/2000 1 2126 Setaceous Hebrew Character SN2723 LW 22/05/2007 21/05/1995 2139 Red Chestnut SN5739 ML 25/03/2007 13/02/1993 2140 White-marked SN5739 ML 22/03/2007 03/04/2005 12 2145 Nutmeg SN4601 IM 12/05/2007 09/07/2005 58 2150 Grey Arches SN2723 LW 21/05/2007 04/06/2004 14 2152 White Colon SS4999 SJ, JB 06/06/2007 06/06/2004 0 2158 Pale-shouldered Brocade SN5739 ML 03/05/2007 07/05/2002 4 2160 Bright-line Brown-eye SN4601 IM 30/04/2007 01/05/2001 1 2162 Glaucous Shears SN5138 ML 15/05/2007 01/05/1997 2163 Broom Moth SN5437 ML 17/05/2007 21/05/1995 4 2164 Broad-barred White SS4999 SJ, JB 06/06/2007 28/05/2003 2166 Campion SN4601 IM 21/04/2007 11/05/1995 20 2173 Lychnis SN3623 JB, LW 04/05/2007 30/04/1990 2179 Pine Beauty SN4601 IM 11/04/2007 25/03/2005 2182 Small Quaker SN5532 ML 14/03/2007 08/03/1999 2184 Northern Drab SN5339 ML 09/04/2007 23/04/2006 14 2186 Powdered Quaker SN3919 JB 11/04/2007 31/03/1990 2187 Common Quaker SN5532 ML 14/03/2007 04/03/1989 2188 Clouded Drab SN5532 ML 14/03/2007 02/03/1997 2189 Twin-spotted Quaker SN5532 ML 14/03/2007 04/03/1993 2190 Hebrew Character SN5739 ML 22/03/2007 03/02/1999 2193 Clay SS4999 SJ, JB 06/06/2007 12/06/1995 6 2198 Smoky Wainscot SS4999 SJ, IM 06/06/2007 01/06/1992 2199 Common Wainscot SN2723 LW 05/06/2007 04/06/2000 2225 Minor Shoulder-knot SN4601 IM 04/06/2007 23/06/1994 19 2235 Tawny Pinion SN4601 IM 28/04/2007 NEW 2236 Pale Pinion SN5739 ML 25/03/2007 overwinters 2237 Grey Shoulder-knot SN5532 ML 14/03/2007 overwinters 2241 Red Sword-grass SN5739 ML 13/03/2007 overwinters 2243 Early Grey SN5739 ML 07/03/2007 02/03/1993 2258 Chestnut SN5739 ML 18/02/2007 overwinters 2278 Poplar Grey SN2723 LW 05/05/2007 27/05/2005 22 2281 Alder Moth SN4601 IM 28/04/2007 24/05/2004 26 2284 Grey Dagger SN2723 LW 05/05/2007 27/05/2005 22 2289 Knot Grass SN4601 IM 28/04/2007 14/04/2003 2291 Coronet SN3623 JB, LW 04/05/2007 07/05/1995 3 2302 Brown Rustic SN2723 LW 15/05/2007 22/05/2004 7 2305 Small Angle Shades SN2723 LW 22/05/2007 09/05/2000 2306 Angle Shades SN4601 IM 11/04/2007 all year 2321 Dark Arches SN2723 LW 22/05/2007 01/06/1992 10 2322 Light Arches SS4999 SJ, JB 06/06/2007 12/06/1989 6 2326 Clouded-bordered Brindle SN5739 ML 03/05/2007 06/05/2002 3 2331 Small Clouded Brindle SN4601 IM 15/05/2007 07/06/2005 23 2337 Marbled Minor SN2723 LW 15/05/2007 21/05/2001 6 2338 Rufous Minor SN2723 LW 22/05/2007 05/06/2004 14 2340 Middle-barred Minor SN4601 IM 23/05/2007 23/05/1995 0 2380 Treble Lines SN4601 IM 21/04/2007 14/05/1990 23 2384 Vine's Rustic SN4601 IM 15/05/2007 26/05/2003 11 2397 Small Yellow Underwing SS5398 WT 14/05/2007 21/05/1985 7 2399 Bordered Sallow SN4601 IM 31/05/2007 06/06/2004 6 2410 Marbled White Spot SN2723 LW 22/05/2007 14/05/2000 2422 Green Silver Lines SN2723 LW 02/06/2007 12/05/2000 2423 Oak Nycteoline SN5532 ML 14/03/2007 overwinters 2425 Nut-tree Tussock SN3623 JB 12/04/2007 21/03/1971 2439 Gold Spot SN4601 IM 30/04/2007 23/05/1995 23 2441 Silver Y SN4601 IM 28/04/2007 migrant 2442 Beautiful Golden Y SN2723 LW 02/06/2007 27/05/1993 2450 Spectacle SN4601 IM 28/04/2007 02/05/2001 4 2462 Mother Shipton SN3604 JB 04/05/2007 11/05/1990 7 2466 Blackneck SS4999 SJ, IM 06/06/2007 01/06/1992 2469 Herald SN2723 LW 08/04/2007 overwinters 2474 Straw Dot SN4601 IM 12/05/2007 27/05/2005 15 2476 Beautiful Snout SN5537 ML 22/05/2007 26/05/2004 4 2477 Snout SN2723 LW 05/06/2007 26/05/2001 2489 Fan-foot SN2723 LW 05/06/2007 14/06/1999 9 2492 Small Fan-foot SN4601 IM 15/05/2007 29/05/2003 14 Some of these are very significant shifts in the flight seasons of species. Common species with hundreds of records on the county database are coming out weeks ahead of schedule. This surely will have an impact on the natural environment, especially on the natural food chain. I would expect to see unusual second or third broods of species later in the summer, as a result in this shift.

CARMARTHENSHIRE`S LOST BUTTERFLIES AND THEIR RECORDERS -and other miscellaneous related tales of noteworthy lepidoptera. - IK Morgan

Introduction. The recent history of Carmarthenshire’s butterfly fauna has been overwhelmingly of severe decline, mostly due to the exponential process of agricultural intensification, resulting in a relatively bland and uniform countryside, without the once flower-rich pastures and more open woodlands. Extinction too, has occurred, and the county has lost several species which some of the lepidopterists of the 19th and early 20th centuries were able to record. This account tries to summarise what is known of our lost butterflies and their recorders. Apart from a few comments, moths are not included in this summary.

Missing Records Another reason for writing this account is that some lepidopterists are seemingly unaware that certain butterflies once occurred in Carmarthenshire and also because some records of significance, such as those of the white-letter hairstreak (and others), are missing from the `Millennium Atlas` (Asher et al, 2001). When I passed on my custodianship of the Carmarthenshire butterfly records, this data included all the laborious research I had earlier undertaken to trace, and verify, records from both the 19th Century and the first half or so of the next century. It has to be concluded therefore, that this data was not entered into the database upon which the otherwise excellent Atlas maps were derived. This results in a misleading and inaccurate representation of the county, an unhappy situation that ought to be rectified before there is further confusion. Perhaps this deficiency can now be remedied, as the records are all given in my `Provisional Review of the Butterflies of Carmarthenshire` (NCC, 1989), copies of which were, or subsequently, passed on to each of the vc 44 County Recorders and Butterfly Conservation. These records can be easily extracted (as they are given with grid references) and added to the Carmarthenshire butterfly database. For those wishing to see a more accurate distributional picture (pre 1987), they are directed to Vol. 7 (part 1) of the Moths and Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland, published by Harley Books (reprinted 1991).

John Brunker: last recorder of the wood white? Standing on the start of a minor peninsula of high ground that thrusts south-westwards into the flood plain of the Tywi, the church at Llanegwad is the burial place of a keen Carmarthenshire naturalist of the first half or so of the 20th Century – John Brunker, who died in 1972. While, if you are lucky in late May, you may spot the rare club- tailed dragonfly along the Tywi (or the `elusive Gomphus` as Neil Matthew once dubbed it), you will not find Brunker`s grave, for it is unmarked. John Brunker settled in the Carmarthen area late in the 19th Century when his father, who was a baker, moved there from Dorset. He became headmaster of the church school at Llanegwad and when that closed down, taught horticulture at Gelli Aur (Golden Grove) Farm Institute. There is an interesting manuscript of his entitled, `Llanegwad Parish: Natural History Section` held in the Carmarthenshire Record Office in Carmarthen (ref. no:CDX/259/11), which lists the wildlife of the area (and includes moths such as the death`s- head hawkmoth, striped hawkmoth, convolvulus hawkmoth, narrow- bordered bee hawkmoth and the scarce burnished brass). Butterflies of the parish included pearl-bordered fritillary, brown hairstreak, marbled white and grizzled skipper. For the butterfly enthusiast however, the most tantalising record of Brunker`s refers to the wood white Leptidea sinapsis which was published in the Transactions of the Carmarthenshire Antiquarian and Field Club in 1959. Here he alludes to the species without actually initially naming it: ….”Sometimes, even with rare insects, the naturalist may be fortunate enough to visit a spot when the insects are just emerging from the pupae…whilst working along the limestone ridges beyond Porthyrhyd in May 1915, I saw fluttering in a copse vast numbers of delicate-looking butterflies with a distinct black mark on their upper wings. This was the only time I saw them” (Brunker 1959a). Some very nice limestone ash woodlands are still to be found in this area such as Coedydd y Garn SSSI near Drefach. In a later-published part of the same article he states, “seldom seen out in the sunny positions, but rather in the shady sides of woods, this frail butterfly flutters about like a piece of tissue paper blown on the breeze. This is a disappearing insect in Carmarthenshire” (Brunker 1959b).

Barker: early naturalist and author Referring to T.W.Barker`s earlier records of the wood white in the county, Brunker adds, “ I remember him telling me that he had seen very few specimens of this delicate butterfly”. Thomas Barker was the author of the interesting Handbook to the Natural History of Carmarthenshire in 1905, a slim volume, full of useful records, including the records of wood white as `occasionally near Oaklands`, his home at the junction of the A484 and the B4309 south of Cwmffrwd. He also remarked that it also occurred `in lanes between and Pontyates`. There are supporting specimens to verify this as an erstwhile vc44 butterfly, for there were at least eleven specimens (albeit rather battered) in two drawers in Carmarthen Museum when I inspected them in 1986. These were labelled `G W Walton, Pontyberem 1919`; a friend (E J Smith, pers. comn.) also informed me that in the late 1980s there were undated but old specimens of this species in a collection, made by a past school- master, of locally-caught butterflies (ie around Ammanford 22/61) at Amman Valley Comprehensive School. I have many times searched the still-leafy lanes around Kidwelly and Pontyates and the Porthyrhyd limestone ridge for the wood white, but regrettably, must conclude that this butterfly is now extinct in the county. Back in 1986, when I was initially based in the Nature Conservancy Council`s offices at Plas Gogerddan, Aberystwyth, I was discussing my work on Carmarthenshire butterflies with Peter Davis (NCC Ornithologist and one of the main saviours of the Welsh kite), and I mentioned some records of FC Best that I had read in the journal Nature in . Peter informed me that he knew of Mr Best`s address at (Vivod in NE Wales) so I immediately wrote – fortuitously as it happened, as Frank Best died shortly afterwards.

Enter Terence Parsons, unrecognized lepidopterist of Welsh significance Mr Best told me that he had some correspondence of interest between himself and a person then unknown to me, Terence Parsons, these letters being brought to my attention partly as there was mention of John Brunker. I was able to see and copy these papers and I, in turn, copied them to the National Museum in Cardiff and to other parties. Terence Parsons proved from these letters to be a very important, but hardly known, Welsh lepidopterist of the late 1940s deserving of greater recognition for his contribution to the studies of butterflies in Wales. I will discuss his relevance shortly. In his letters to Best, Parsons comments about the wood white: “ I have not heard of Leptidea…in Carmarthenshire previously, though it used to occur in Glamorgan and Montgomery, while it still inhabits east Monmouthshire”. Tantalisingly, he then later goes on to say, “I was very interested in the records of Nymphalis polychloros [large tortoiseshell] and Euphydryas aurinia [marsh fritillary] in Carmarthenshire, as well as Plebejus argus [silver-studded blue]”. Alas, we have no copies of the original letters or replies in which details of these rare species are given. He also asked Brunker for details of his brown hairstreak record/s (incidentally, Barker too, recorded this near Oaklands, Cwmffrwd). Parsons also enquires about the silver-studded blue records made by Brunker. What is known is that Brunker`s notes were mostly destroyed after his death: another example of the need to ensure the sharing of data and curation of important documentation.

What really was the status of the silver-studded blue? The silver-studded blue has no known colonies in Carmarthenshire, but though it was certainly previously present; its past exact status is something of a mystery, though we have the trustworthy authority of Brunker, Parsons and others that it occurred. There is a fascinating map, prepared by Parsons, and fortunately included in the F C Best papers, showing the distribution of this species in Wales. Parsons had apparently embarked on writing a book on the butterflies of Wales that, sadly, was never actually published. Some of the areas indicated on his map have been vindicated such as the inland colony in Gwynedd or the rediscovery in the early 1990s of this species on coastal limestone in south Pembrokeshire. It must be said, however, that there were also records for the intervening period for this part of Pembrokeshire (see Morgan, 1989:38). But what of our county? For Carmarthenshire he marks two sites: `dunes` in the south west, which presumably refer to the large dune system east of , and an inland locality (again un-named) seemingly just to the SW of Carmarthen town (Cors Goch Llanllwch?). This not the only non-coastal record, as Tutt (1907-8) gives a record for `` [22/73], and Barker confirms the Pendine- Burrows by saying that it was “taken by H.S.Holmes near Laugharne” If I may, I will add a bit of personal obfuscation and confusion to the debate regarding the subsequent status of the silver-studded blue in Carmarthenshire. When I was a young butterfly enthusiast, I may have recorded this species in Pembrey Forest and nearby. For 1976, on 13 June to be exact, there is an entry in my diary: “Went to Pembrey Forest and Towyn [Tywyn] Burrows with EJ Smith who took us to a ride [SN 396017] which is particularly rich in butterflies…the butterflies noted are listed below: …silver-studded blues Plebejus argus many seen and caught*, both males and females” * ie netted and released. This ride, incidentally, became known as the `Butterfly Ride` (SN 396017) after its importance was communicated to the Forestry Commission by the Llanelli Naturalists` Society. I also recall recording (again in 1976) P.argus on an area of dune lichen heath at the former site of the ruined Royal Ordnance Factory at Pembrey, a site now occupied by a country park. The management grassed the whole area over and, to this day, still add nitrogen-rich chicken manure to the grassland! However, in the late 1980s, I carefully searched the Pembrey area (including the forest rides) and I did not once see any silver-studded blues. So were my youthful records incorrect? On the one hand, the site is geographically plausible and I was not the only person to record them on that day in June 1976, but where are they now? We really have to assume that their presence at Pembrey is unproven, but should perhaps be aware of the possibility.

Like the silver-studded blue, what happened to Terence Parsons? Terence Parsons too, seems to have disappeared. After the flurry of letter writing in 1949-50, the correspondence between him and Frank Best ends in the latter part of 1950. The next we hear of Parsons is in a letter to Best, dated May 17th 1955, on University College Cardiff headed paper, apologising “for not replying earlier to your letters”. Parsons goes on to say that he had just submitted a PhD thesis on tipulids (crane-flies), though there were problems, as another student at Bristol University had just completed very similar research. He then says that his work on his `Butterflies of Wales` had been suspended. This is the last we hear of him, all attempts made by me in 1987 to trace Terence Parsons failed; similarly some later queries in his original home- town (Ogmore Vale in Glamorgan) were likewise not successful.

The Kidwelly connection and its butterfly rarities I was first made aware of the historical occurrence of the purple emperor Apatura iris and the black-veined white Aporia crataegi again by comments by the meticulous Terence Parsons, and subsequently I was able to trace the original records and research their recorder, H.L.Tytherleige of Kidwelly. In 1860, Tytherleige, published a note of great significance in the `Entomologists Weekly Intelligencer` which yielded the sole Carmarthenshire records for the black-veined white and one of only two for the purple emperor. They were made near Kidwelly. Of the former species he wrote “but I have not seen one since 1856” (it is now extinct throughout Britain) and for the purple emperor he commented “ which I have seen but was unable to catch, on account of his love for inaccessible altitudes”. Tytherleige also listed the pale clouded yellow, large tortoiseshell, marsh fritillary and brown hairstreak. Furthermore, he said that the wood white was “very abundant”! Sightings such as these make one wish for a `time machine` to sample the rich habitats and the accompanying wildlife of the pre-intensive agricultural landscape. As with the other early recorders, in addition to researching old publications, I attempted to gather biographical information about the early Carmarthenshire lepidopterists when I was writing my Butterflies of Carmarthenshire in the late 1980s. For Tytherleige, I was greatly aided by the skilled local historian, the late W. Hill Morris, himself of Kidwelly, who told me that the Tytherleige family lived at `Moorland Cottage` and `Arlais House` in that town during the middle years of the 19th Century, and that they originated from Taunton, Devon.

Enter William Davies, naturalist There is another, marginally earlier, record of the purple emperor, as William Davies in his Llandeilo Vawr and its Neighbourhood (1858), engagingly relates how, “When visiting the banks of the river Cothi [SN52], in the month of August 1857, …we had also a most severe run after what we believed to be a Purple Emperor (Papilio iris). Long shall we remember it. The time being about mid-day, and excessively hot….and [we] had to make our way after him. Eager though the pursuit was, we had to experience the mortification of seeing the object of our chase soaring above the highest trees, of what appeared to be an un-traversed dingle”. The habit of adult purple emperors congregating on certain tree-tops for courtship purposes is well known and as the caterpillar feeds on goat willow, habitat loss cannot adequately explain the absence of this species from the county. We can always fantasise that it may still occur in some sheltered woodland! Perhaps we ought to look upwards more frequently to see if we can find this elusive monarch, and at least in compensation if we do not find any, we may be recording more purple hairstreaks! An interesting article by Ken Willmott in the journal British Wildlife (1994) suggests Wales as worthy of searching for this secretive `grandest of our butterflies`. The reader will have noticed that Tytherleige found the large tortoiseshell near Kidwelly, now a very rare or even extinct butterfly in Britain, whose larvae fed on elm leaves (English elm is particularly frequent on the coastal flats around Kidwelly). He also listed the brown hairstreak, which retains a major British stronghold in west and mid Carmarthenshire. It is seemingly absent, though this needs further attention, from SE Carmarthenshire and possibly this is due to the relative scarcity of blackthorn (the caterpillars feed on young growths) and ash trees (which are used for courtship) on the acidic Coalfield soils. The old record of Tytherleige from Kidwelly and those of Barker from Cwmffrwd (his daughter, Eira, caught one at Oaklands on 17th September 1904 and Barker himself saw one, at the same place, on 1st Otober of that year), all suggest localities worthy of modern-day survey – indeed, I believe the brown hairstreak has been recently recorded near Cwmffrwd. I would suggest too that winter egg searches of appropriate areas on the Old Red Sandstone outcrop such as the lower Gwendraeth Fach valley (Fiona Elphick has, of late, found brown hairstreak eggs at Llangyndeyrn in the middle section of the valley). Also, the Ferryside- Kidwelly area and the Llansteffan`peninsula` might all bear fruit in the confirmation of the continued presence of this rather secretive hairstreak.

More ancient records of note Just before the publications of Davies and Tytherleige mentioned above, another gentleman with an interest in butterflies set foot in Carmarthenshire, William Baker, who subsequently used the Entomologists Weekly Intelligencer as a vehicle for publication of his records in 1856. The paper was titled `Lepidoptera near Llanelly, Carmarthenshire`, but they referred to the Ammanford area. In it, he tells of his `more important captures`, taken around the village of Cross Inn [subsequently the enlarged town became `Ammanford`, but a pub in the town still bears the original name]. He was evidently a visitor: `I am leaving this neighbourhood on the 28th`; presumably he had specialist skills linked to the burgeoning coal mining, engineering or surveying needs of the then rapidly expanding coalfield. A list in the Entomologists Annual of 1857, gave his address as `New Road, Abergavenny`, another mining/industrial area. Of his Carmarthenshire records, he includes the marbled white (as `Melitea Artemis`), silver-washed fritillary, green hairstreak and, most fascinating of all, the Duke of Burgundy fritillary (as `Nemeobius Lucinda`), a butterfly now long gone from our county. The Duke of Burgundy requires an abundance of primroses Primula vulgaris or cowslips P. veris, on which the larvae feed, in sheltered woodland or scrub. Both plants are found –these days rather sparingly- on the Carboniferous Limestone outcrop to the north of Ammanford and it is presumed it was there that Baker saw this species. It was also known from neighbouring Glamorgan (Hallet, 1917) and the irrepressible Terence Parsons saw one, in an area with abundant cowslips, at Merthyr Mawr on 15.5.1949, the latter being an unpublished record found in his letters. Colonel Owen S. Wilson of Cwmffrwd, an eminent lepidopterist of his time and author of The Larvae of the British Lepidoptera and their food-plants (1880), passed on an early record of a brown hairstreak to Thomas Barker (who, you will recall, also lived at Cwmffrwd) and he published a note in The Entomologist in 1883. In his book, Wilson also tended his gratitude to G J Hearder, who was Superintendent of St David`s Hospital, Carmarthen. Hearder must have died by the time that Barker`s `Handbook` had appeared in 1906, for he is referred to as `the late Dr Hearder` in conjunction with a record of the comma (which at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries was seemingly experiencing one of its cyclical declines and was rare and worth recording). I have not yet given any substantial biographical notes on Thomas William Barker. Fortunately, I did not have to do any particular research, as P W Carter had already done so with respect to Barker`s botanical achievements.The following facts are gleaned from Carter: Barker (1861-1912) came from an old Carmarthenshire family, when in 1767, his great grandfather was made headmaster of Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Carmarthen. He trained to be a solicitor and lived most of his life as Diocesan Registrar and Bishop`s Secretary. He died aged only 51.

Hairstreaks and fritillaries: post Second World War recording The late 1940s and 1950s yielded some useful records such as the white-letter hairstreaks noted at Ferryside by DA Davies in 1947, and D L Thomas who provided valuable records of high brown fritillary (now believed extinct in the county), pearl- bordered fritillary (probably approaching extinction), brown argus, brown hairstreak and others. Another Thomas, this time J F Thomas, was active around Laugharne and being an `all-rounder` did a lot of good work recording plants and birds as well as butterflies; he was a teacher and returned to Laugharne in school-holiday time. Sadly too, his valuable notebooks were once again consigned to the fire after his death. A butterfly that may now be extinct in the county (though I am hopeful that perhaps a small population hangs on at one of its past stations on the coast or the limestone ridge) is the pearl-bordered fritillary. I used to rarely see this species, typically in ones or twos, in Pembrey Forest (mid 1970s) and also at a perhaps atypical locality (a small, wood-edge flushed bog below Cencoed-uchaf farm SN479033), where it accompanied some freshly emerged small pearl-bordereds in early June 1976. The last individual I saw was twenty years ago, when one was watched at close range on the limestone ridge near Glangwenlais Farm (SN 603164, now part of Carmel Woods NNR). Yet, for the older generation of butterfly enthusiasts it was often `common` (Brunker, for example, at Llanegwad) or even `abundant` (Jeffreys, writing of Laugharne in 1894). In the spring of 1898, Jeffreys observed that it had only been `out a little time in warm and sheltered localities` ( Jeffreys came to the county from Clevedon in Gloucestershire and eventually established the taxidermy firm of Thomas Jeffreys and Sons in Carmarthen). Barker, writing just after the turn of the 20th Century, thought the pearl-bordered to be `generally distributed`, whilst B L Thomas noted colonies in the mid-1950s near the waterworks at Cynwyl Elfed, Llansteffan, Llangynog and Pendine (there were still rare, but reliable, sightings from the Pendine ashwoods in the 1980-90s). The catastrophic decline of this species can be attributed to the cessation of woodland management, which results in dark, shady woods, lacking a rich ground flora that includes nectar sources for the adults, and violets, upon which the caterpillars feed. In the past, the native valley-side oak woods were regularly cut for both wood and also for bark (used to obtain tannins for leather curing. Additionally, the conversion of adjacent pastures, from semi-natural flower-rich grazings to grassy monocultures also will have contributed to the demise of the pearl-bordered fritillary. Dafydd Davies, who still is active with `Cymdeithas Edward Llwyd` (the Welsh- language natural history society), and lives at Rhandirmwyn in NE Carmarthenshire has done a great deal for the recording of wildlife in the county. Until he retired, Dafydd was headmaster of the village school and was heavily involved with the conservation of the red kite, botanical exploration and, searching for the distinctive white eggs of brown hairstreak as part of his winter-time nature lessons at the local school. Incidentally, he also once recounted to me a visit that he made to see John Brunker, and remembering being shown an insect collection made by Brunker. Dafydd Davies was the last person to note the high brown fritillary in vc44, counting no less than 20 to 30 individuals imbibing at bramble blossom in Cwm Crychan (SN 823392) on 8th July 1976. Several people, including myself, have searched the area subsequentl, but to no avail, and we have to conclude that successional changes in habitat (essentially the `shading out` of the Viola food-plants) have done for this butterfly. There are older records documented from `near Oaklands and elsewhere` (Barker, pre-1905) and also 1950s records from the ashwoods just west of Pendine, the Cynwyl Elfed area and Cwm Cych, the latter right in the NE of Carmarthenshire (B L Thomas, 1952). It is sad to relate that certain `habitat-specialist` butterflies continue to decline. Many of the sites where I previously recorded marsh or small pearl-bordered fritillaries have been agriculturally `improved` and there have been exceedingly few sightings of the pearl -bordered fritillary. Even my records, made in the 1970s and `80s were only of singletons and it is a sobering thought to think that I may have been, with a few others, one of the last people to see this butterfly alive in Carmarthenshire – and that is now twenty years ago!

Sources of information: Much of the above information comes from my Provisional Review of the Butterflies of Carmarthenshire, an unpublished Nature Conservancy Council (NCC) internal report dating from 1989. Other useful sources are, articles in the Llanelli Naturalists` Newsletter (<1982 to present) and the Dyfed Invertebrate Group (DIG) Newsletter, which was published from 1986 to 2001. Full details of these and other sources are listed below. Copies of the NCC report cited above are held at the CCW Llandeilo office, as are the others just mentioned. The National Library of Wales received all of the above and together with Carmarthen and Llanelli reference libraries were given copies of my `Provisional Review`. As noted earlier, the various vc 44 County Recorders and Butterfly Conservation at Swansea were also given, in their turn, copies of the latter report. Readers may also be interested to know that, thanks to Adrian Fowles, the DIG Newsletters can be accessed via the internet at: http://uk.geocities.com/yrefail01/index.htm

References:

Asher, J et al (2001) – Millennium Atlas of Butterflies in Great Britain and Ireland. Baker, W (1856) – Lepidoptera near Llanelly, Carmarthenshire. Entomologists` Weekly Intelligencer, 22:171. Best, F C (1956) – Butterflies in Wales. Nature in Wales, 12 No.1, Spring 1956. Barker, T W (1905) – A Handbook to the Natural History of Carmarthenshire. W. Spurrell & Son, Carmarthen. Brunker, J (c1950) – Llanegwad Parish: Natural History Section (unpublished manuscript held at Carms. Record Office, CDX/259/11. Brunker, J (1959a) – A half-century of natural history. Transactions of the Carmarthenshire Antiquarian and Field Club, 3:194-199. Brunker, J (1959b) – ibid, 4:70-73. Carter, P W (1951) – Botanical exploration in Carmarthenshire. Part 1, The Carmarthenshire Antiquary. 2: 170-171. Davies, W J (1896) – Hanes Plwyf Llandysul: 331-332. Reprinted in facsimile, County Council Cultural Services Dept., 1986. Davies, W (1858) – Llandeilo Vawr and its Neighbourhood. Reprinted, Dyfed County Council, 1993. Emmet, A M & Heath, J (1987) – The Moths and Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland. 7, part 1. Harley Books. (Reprinted in 1991). Hallet, H M (1917) –The Lepidoptera of Glamorgan. Transactions of the Cardiff Natural History Society, Vol. L: 45-46. Jeffereys, T B (1882) – Lepidoptera in South Wales. Entomologist. 25: 322. Jeffreys, T B (1893) – Spring Lepidoptera in Carmarthenshire. Entomologist. 26: 195. Jeffreys, T B (1894) - Collecting in South Wales. Entomologist. 27: 351. Morgan, I K (1987) – The wood white in Carmarthenshire. Dyfed Invertebrate Group Newsletter, 8: 9-10. Morgan, I K (1987) – John Brunker-Llanegwad naturalist, his notes and records. Llanelli Naturalists` Newsletter, Summer 1987: 11-15. Morgan, I K (1988) – The entomological correspondence of Terence Parsons with special reference to Carmarthenshire. Llanelli Naturalists` Newsletter, Summer 1988: 15-17. Morgan, I K (1989) – A Provisional Review of the Butterflies of Carmarthenshire. Unpublished NCC internal report. 65pp. Aberystwyth. Morgan, I K (1989) – An interim review of pre-1970 moth recording in Carmarthenshire. Dyfed Invertebrate Group Newsletter, 13:16-19. Morgan, I K (1990) – Additional notes on pre-1970 moth recording in Carmarthenshire. Dyfed Invertebrate Group Newsletter, 18:1-4. Morgan, I K (2000) – Additional old records of the purple emperor Apatura iris and the large tortoiseshell Nymphalis polychlorus in Carmarthenshire. Dyfed Invertebrate Newsletter, 36:13. Thomas, D L (1951) – Notes on Carmarthenshire Butterflies. Entomologist, 84:117- 118. Thomas, D L (1952) – Notes on Carmarthenshire Lepidoptera. Entomologist, 85: 143- 144. Thomas, D L (1953) – Notes on Carmarthenshire Lepidoptera. Entomologist, 86: 215- 216. Thomas, J F (1955) – The Laugharne- Pendine Burrows. Nature in Wales, 1:72-74. Tytherleige, H L (1860) – Butterflies in Carmarthenshire. Entomologists` Weekly Intelligencer. 9, part 218 :76. Willmott, K (1994) – Locating and conserving the elusive purple emperor. British Wildlife 5, No5: 288-295. Wilson, O S (1880) – The Larvae of the British Lepidoptera and their food-plants. Wilson, O S (1883) – Lepidoptera in Carmarthenshire. Entomologist 16: 61-62.

Thank you: Thanks to all contributors to this bulletin – Lee Walker, Martin Lovell, Julian Wormald, Sam Bosanquet, Simeon Jones, Arnold Johnson, Wendell Thomas, Colin Jones, Keith Williams and Ian Morgan.

JON BAKER Moth Recorder for VC44 Carms 14 Job’s Well Rd CARMARTHEN SA31 3HG

01267 221681 [email protected]