Rufous Minor, Oligia versicolor

The three Oligias (strigilis, versicolor and latruncula) are a close triplet of moth species that can only reliably be separated by dissection. Most garden traps will yield a spread of colour forms of strigilis (Marbled Minor) and latruncula (Tawny Marbled Minor) but versicolor (Rufous Minor) occurs rarely in gardens in Bedfordshire. However, it does seem to crop up when trapping in good woodland as here with a male specimen from Maulden Wood on 16th June 2009. Gendet and photo by Andy Banthorpe.