Scythrididae

43.002 Gorse Runner Scythris grandipennis (Haworth, 1828)

Notable B

Similar species:

Forewing: 7 to 9.5mm

Habitats: Dry areas on downland, heathland and wasteground.

Habits: The moth flies in sunshine. It occasionally comes to light.

Foodplant: The larva feeds gregariously on Dwarf Gorse or other species of gorse. It feeds from its own silk tube within a web housing many other larvae. This web eventually covers a large part of the plant. It pupates in April within the web or in spun leaves attached to the foodplants stem.

On the European mainland it has also been recorded feeding on Dyer's Greenweed.