Gelechiidae

35.155 Marbled Maple Moth Altenia scriptella (Hübner, 1796)

Notable A

Similar species:

Forewing: 5.5 to 6mm

Habitats: Deciduous woodland margins and hedgerows.

Habits: The moth rests on tree trunks or wooden fences during the day. It comes to light.

Foodplant: The larvae feeds on Field Maple. It prefers the shoots on the lower branches. It either folds a leaf upwards, turns up a corner of a leaf or spins two leaves together with the upper surface inwards. The larva then feeds on the upper surface of the leaf, which does not show a noticeable blotch from the outside. It often abandons the spinning and starts another. It pupates in a folded leaf or in a flimsy cocoon in the leaf litter. On the European mainland it has also been recorded feeding on Sycamore amd Norway Maple.