Mystery egg(s)

[Padfield]

I've already posted these pictures with some brown and purple hairstreak eggs here: viewtopic.php?f=20&t=3903, but as some people don't browse the Overseas forum I thought I'd repost in Identification.

Any ideas as to what this egg might be? It's on blackthorn, at about 650m in Switzerland.




Or these strange objects, also on blackthorn?



Guy

[Pete Eeles]

Hi Guy - and thanks for posting the photos in the other thread - looks like a good day out!

Sometimes a negative response can be useful - so this is a reply to let you know that I don't know what they are!

The first looks Lepidopteran, but the only species I'm familiar with that lay on blackthorn (Black Hairstreak, Brown Hairstreak, Black-veined White and Scarce Swallowtail) don't match - and the Black-veined White overwinters as a larva, and the Scarce Swallowtail as an egg anyway. And the black-veined white lays in batches - and on the leaves! Also, the shape of the egg looks very like a Pearl-bordered Fritillary egg but I don't know of any related species that use blackthorn. And, of course, it could well be a moth.

As for the second - absolutely no idea!

Cheers,

- Pete

[Padfield]

Thanks, Pete. I agree - it doesn't look like any butterfly that feeds on blackthorn. At the time, I thought it might be a fritillary, but so far as I can see there are no transverse ridges, only longitudinal. So I guess it must be a moth. Perhaps someone knows what moth it might be...

Whatever the other things are/were, it looks as though they've fled the nest!!

It was indeed a good day, but very cold! This is Martigny in the Rhône Valley, viewed from near where I was hunting eggs:



And this is in the woods at the same place:



Gloves on between pictures!

Guy

[Cotswold Cockney]

I've found ova like those singly on Prunus spinosa [Blackthorn] when searching for Hairstreak ova here in Central and Southern England. The little larva when mature at first glance looks like a pale grey Haistreak larva! All about thirty years ago.

I believe it is an attractive and common little moth with about a 26mm wingspan, a warm light grey with various dashes and short striations... I'll check my books when I get a chance.... I've occasionally seen one on my windows at night and during the day in my garden. I used to have a Damson tree in my garden which I used to feed some butterfly larvae on ~ including I.podalirius IIRC...

Talking of moths on window glass, following the rapid thaw of the wintery conditions during the past two days locally here in Gloucestershire, there was a small moth on my Kitchen window this evening ~ I logged on to UKB to post an "ID" request ~ I'll do that now ~ the picture should enable someone to ID the little visitor .. the first Lepidopteron seen so far this year... Well, it's a start ....
.

[Padfield]

Thanks CC - I'll check through the moth books myself too, to see if I can find that attractive grey moth you think the egg might be.

Some time ago Tim Cowles asked me what the singular of 'lepidoptera' was and I told him that grammatically speaking it should be 'lepidopteron' but that I'd never known anyone use that word. Now I have! So thanks for that, too...

Guy

[Paul]

Hi

just seen this... Guy... I was out recently, searching for WLH ovae in N Yorks, with the previous WLH species co-ordinator for BCYorks... he described v. similar fluted ovae to yours, I've emailed him'cos I can't remember which moth he said they were... watch this space for hopefully a by proxy ID..
the second lot look a bit Lackey moth like

[Padfield]

That would be great Paul - thanks. I'm going to look for WLH tomorrow in my local woods if it doesn't snow.

Guy