Gelechiidae

35.047 Dark Moss-moth Bryotropha affinis (Haworth, 1828)

Common

Similar species:

Forewing: 4.5 to 6mm

Habitats: Around urban and rural buildings, especially if thatched.

Habits: The moth flies from dusk and later comes to light.

Foodplant: The larva feeds from a silk tube amongst mosses on walls and roofs. It is known to feed on Wall Screw-moss Tortula muralis, Capillary Thread-moss Bryum capillare and probably other mosses. The full grown larva can be found feeding outside of its tube in the early morning and on dull days. Lumps of ejected frass can sometimes be found in the moss at the end of the silk tube. It pupates in the larval tube.