Scythrididae

43.009 Ling Runner Scythris empetrella Karsholt & Nielsen, 1976

pRDB2

Similar species:

Forewing: 4 to 5mm

Habitats: Sandy heathland.

Habits: The moth flies in sunshine and has a habit of jumping and running along the ground when disturbed.

Foodplant: The larva feeds on heaths, Heather and Crowberry. It feeds on the leaves from a long tube of silk mixed with sand, which is attached to twigs and roots buried deep under the sandy soil. In May it pupates in a long curved cocoon of silk buried under the sand.