19 July 2010
A very rare moth from Madeira has been identified at WWT Martin Mere in Lancashire. Marsh Dowd (Blastobasis rebeli) is a first for the reserve, Lancashire and on current knowledge, the only time this species has been recorded away from Hampshire and West Sussex. The identity of the moth was confirmed by the micro recorder for Lancashire.
With a wingspan of 13 mm, the moth, otherwise only known from Madeira, was recently discovered in Hampshire in 1998. There are several records from the same area over the last few years, so it is assumed to be breeding in the Hampshire vicinity.
Reserve Manager, Chris Tomlinson, said: “This is an amazing find for the Centre. It is brilliant when we find new species starting to use the reserve as we work so hard in creating the right conditions for them. We do host moth mornings at the centre so hopefully this moth will increase interest and awareness in the species to encourage more people to get outdoors and spot a range of insects.”
This species, only scientifically described and named in 2004, was spotted last Sunday on the wall of the in focus shop at Martin Mere. The in focus team put out a moth trap that omits a mercury vapour light to attract them and therefore keep detailed records of all of the species spotted at Martin Mere.
Local mothing information available from www.lancashiremoths.co.uk
For information on the moth morning events please visit www.wwt.org.uk/martinmere and click on the events link.
WWT Martin Mere is open every day from 9.30am to 5.30pm and parking is free of charge. Situated off the A59, it is signposted from the M61, M58 and M6. The Centre is also accessible via the Southport to Manchester and the Liverpool to Preston line by train from Burscough Rail Stations. Visit the web site http://www.wwt.org.uk/martinmere/ to find out what’s on all year round at Martin Mere and the other eight centres.