Gelechiidae

35.125 Colt's-foot Miner Scrobipalpula tussilaginis (Stainton, 1867)

pRDB2

Similar species:

Forewing: 6 to 6.5mm

Habitats: Coastal land slips, preferring plants on bare soil.

Habits: The moth can be disturbed in the day.

Foodplant: The larva mines a branched, upper surface gallery that is soon expanded into a large, irregular blotch mine on a smaller, low leaf of Colt's-foot. The mines are yellow-brown with purple edges, with frass that the larva hides under. It pupates in the leaf litter.