British Pyralid Moths - A Guide to their Identification

Barry Goater Illustrated by Geoffrey Senior and Robert Dyke

For anyone thinking of beginning to study the British microlepidoptera, this is an excellent starting point, representing over 200 species of the Pyralidae family. This group of moths is well-represented in Britain and many of the species are rather distinctive and easy to find. However this book also serves as the definitive reference guide for the more serious student, packed with useful identification information for some of the difficult species.

There are 8 colour plates of set specimens, depicting both male and female where these differ, and also some variations. There is also a colour frontispiece with photos of 12 species in their natural resting positions, part of which is reproduced on the dust jacket.

The specimens are shown life-size, which is fine for the larger species, but in some instances, the smaller species suffer from the limitations of print resolution and it can be difficult to use the plates, for example to identify the Scopariinae. In several cases there are line drawings of wing-pattern or genitalia for some difficult groups.

The text is quite comprehensive, and for each species gives a description, pointing out the more salient identification pointers, though this is in quite technical jargon and can be difficult to interpret for the inexperienced. There are cross-references to similar species, and further details about distribution, larval habits and foodplants.

Presently, this is the only book in print to exclusively cover the British Pyralidae, and therefore is an essential buy for the serious British moth enthusiast.

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