Gelechiidae

35.054 Dwarf Thistle Seedhead Moth Metzneria neuropterella (Zeller, 1839)

pRDB2

Similar species:

Forewing: 6.5 to 11.5mm

Habitats: Short-turfed, plant rich, chalk downland

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

Foodplant: The larva feeds in a still attached and green flower-head of Dwarf Thistle or sometimes Common Knapweed or Greater Knapweed. It overwinters in a chamber at the base of the seed-head, where it pupates in late May.