Depressariidae

32.038 Varied Brown Depressaria badiella (Hübner, 1796)

Local

Similar species:

Forewing: 8.5 to 10.5mm

Habitats: Dry grassland, verges, embankments, downland, disused quarries and wasteland.

Habits: The moth comes to light.

Foodplant: The young larva feeds between spun leaves of Cat's-ear, Dandelion, Perennial Sow-thistle and other plants in the Compositae family, causing brown blotches on the upper surface of the leaves. It later feeds on the tap root, while inhabiting an adjacent silk tube in the soil. This causes wilting and sometimes the death of the plant. It pupates in a cocoon in the soil adjacent to the tap root.