Pterophoridae

45.013 Twin-spot Plume Stenoptilia bipunctidactyla (Scopoli, 1763)

Common

Similar species:

Forewing: 9 to 12mm

Habitats: Woodland clearings and rides, grassland, road verges and other sites where the foodplants are present.

Habits: The moth is easily disturbed in the day. It flies in the afternoon and from dusk, then later comes to light.

Foodplant: The larva feeds on Field Scabious, Devil's-bit Scabious and possibly Small Scabious. After overwintering the young larva on Field Scabious mines the buds and young shoots leaving large amounts of frass. The larva on Devil's-bit Scabious mines an old leaf along the midrib, before moving to the tip of a new leaf where it causes a brown patch. It finally spins two leaves together and mines windows in them. The summer larvae on either species burrow into the central florets and developing seeds, but leave the petals. The larva pupates on either the foodplant or adjacent vegetation.