Coniopteryx tineiformis

Before I started looking at waxflies there was only a single record of this species from Norfolk, but in the last few years I have found it to be very common, at least here in North Elmham. It sometimes comes to light but the majority of my records have been netted in flight early in the morning when it can be quite numerous alongside hedgerows. I suspect they are sometimes associated with Hawthorn, but as other species are present I cannot be certain of this. I have also caught several flying around Pedunculate Oak.

The majority of my records have been between late April and early June but there's a smaller peak, presumably a second generation, in August (with a single record in July).

Coniopteryx species are separated from Conwentzia by the relatively large size of the hindwing and from other waxfly genera (Semidalis and Parasemidalis in Norfolk) from details of wing venation. Only male Coniopteryx can be identified to species level and tineiformis is told from borealis and pygmaea 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 wing-venation enabling identification to genus and the paramere enabling identification to species are shown below:

male Coniopteryx tineiformis showing wings and paramere, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows (Norfolk, UK), 30th April 2022

male Coniopteryx tineiformis showing paramere, Carsaig, Mull (Argyll & Bute, UK), 10th June 2019

male Coniopteryx tineiformis, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows (Norfolk, UK), 10th May 2019

male Coniopteryx tineiformis, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows (Norfolk, UK), 3rd May 2020

2 x male Coniopteryx tineiformis, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows (Norfolk, UK), 12th May 2018

male Coniopteryx tineiformis, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows (Norfolk, UK), 27th April 2020

male Coniopteryx tineiformis, North Elmham railway (Norfolk, UK), 25th May 2022

male Coniopteryx tineiformis, Heath Road, North Elmham (Norfolk, UK), 25th May 2022

male Coniopteryx tineiformis, Tivetshall (Norfolk, UK), 7th August 2023

second male Coniopteryx tineiformis, Tivetshall (Norfolk, UK), 7th August 2023

third male Coniopteryx tineiformis, Tivetshall (Norfolk, UK), 7th August 2023

male Coniopteryx tineiformis, County School Station, North Elmham (Norfolk, UK), 25th May 2022

male Coniopteryx tineiformis, Burnham Overy Dunes (Norfolk, UK), 25th April 2018