Gelechiidae

35.159 Tufted Pine Moth Exoteleia dodecella (Linnaeus, 1758)

Local

Similar species:

Forewing: 5.5 to 7mm

Habitats: Coniferous or mixed woodland, parkland, gardens, the margins of heathland and moorland.

Habits: The moth comes to light.

Foodplant: The larva mines the apical half of a needle of Scot's Pine or more rarely European Larch or Lodgepole Pine. The mine contains some silk and has an entrance at each end from where the majority of frass is ejected. The larva hibernates in the mine and in the spring feeds on the shoots and needles from small white webs.