Narrow-bordered Bee Hawk-moth

(Hemaris tityus Linn.) re-discovered in Suffolk

This species was known to occur in the county in Morley's time at a few locations although even then it was considered excessively local and rare.

Narrow Bordered Bee Hawk Moth

When it was thought to have finally died out in the county I am not sure of but recent opinion was that the species was not currently resident in the county.  This changed when the moth was re-discovered in the latter half of May this year by a few people at around the same time; Michael Armitage and Andy Musgrove probably being the first (21st May 1999), but also James Mann and Steve Dudley. The species is apt to be confused with its near relation, the Broad-bordered Bee Hawk-moth (Hemaris fuciformis Linn.), a much more widespread and common moth. Records for  Narrow-bordered Bee Hawk-moth have previously been submitted by recorders from around the county but (in the absence of a voucher specimen) have been dismissed as confusions with Broad-bordered Bee Hawk-moths.

Graham Bull, Neil Sherman and myself visited the site later in the year to search for larvae and succeeded in confirming its presence on its foodplant, Devil's-bit Scabious. The Broad-bordered Bee Hawk-moth larva feeds on honeysuckle so there little chance of confusion between the larvae of the two species. Michael Armitage and myself then met up with Paul Waring who wanted to have a look around the site and make an assessment of the site's vulnerability and current management regime. I understand Paul will be producing a report for English Nature regarding the site management and the moth. A further larva was found feeding on the foodplant during this visit. Larval records are useful in confirming the presence of the species as breeding on the site as adult moths being mobile may actually be breeding elsewhere than where recorded.

The re-discovery of the species in the county I understand to be quite an important one as this is only the second colony remaining in the eastern half of the UK (Paul Waring, pers comm.). Colonies remaining in the western half of the country have been undergoing declines and extinctions as well. Concern for the species' decline is reflected in it having a national species action plan for its recovery which will now have to be taken up at the local level.

The main concern I have at the moment is that the site may well be the focus of moth collectors as the adult is quite easy to locate feeding at
flowers. The Suffolk Moth Group/Butterfly Conservation will continue to monitor the site in the future and will be looking for other possible sites for the moth in nearby areas of suitable habitat.

References

Morley, C. (1937). Final catalogue of the Lepidoptera of Suffolk. Ipswich: Suffolk Naturalists' Society


 

Tony Prichard
3 Powling Road
Ipswich
Suffolk IP3 9JR

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