Pterophoridae

45.035 Horehound Plume Wheeleria spilodactylus (Curtis, 1827)

pRDB2

Similar species:

Forewing: 9 to 12mm

Habitats: Calcareous downland, coastal cliffs and slopes, vegetated coastal shingle and breckland field margins.

Habits: The moth can be disturbed during the day in warm weather. It occasionally comes to light.

Foodplant: The larva feeds on White Horehound. It initially feeds on the leaves and then in successive buds covered in downy hairs. Hibernation takes place amongst the leaf down in a leaf-axil. In the spring it feeds in a terminal bud and later it rests on the upperside of a leaf along the midrib, which is where it pupates.