Coniopteryx borealis

According to Plant (1997), this species is, "Widespread and very common throughout England, Wales and Scotland; perhaps our commonest species." Well, that may be the case in much of the country but it doesn't seem to be common in Norfolk, and certainly isn't our commonest species. The individual shown below is the only one I've ever caught and it was only the third record for Norfolk.

Coniopteryx species are separated from Conwentzia by the size of the hindwing and from other waxfly genera (Semidalis in Norfolk) from details of wing venation. Only male Coniopteryx can be identified to species level and borealis is told from pygmaea and the much commoner (in Norfolk) tineiformis by the shape of its paramere. Unfortunately you can't see this on a live individual - I macerate the abdomen in 10% potassium hydroxide in order to examine it.

The paramere is shown below:

male Coniopteryx borealis, North Elmham (Norfolk, UK), 2nd June 2021