Pterophoridae

45.039 Citron Plume Hellinsia carphodactyla (Hübner, [1813])

Local

Similar species:

Forewing: 8 to 11mm

Habitats: Chalk and limestone downland, calcareous grassland, rocky coastal slopes, coastal cliffs and landslips, embankments and open woodland.

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

Foodplant: The small larva overwinters on the rosette of Ploughman's-spikenard and occasionally Common Fleabane. In the spring it feeds on the first fresh shoot. It then moves to the main shoot where it eats the stem and fresh leaves, giving away its presence with black frass and the aborted shoot. It pupates in the hollowed out rosette. The part summer generation feeds on the flowers and ripening seeds. This generation pupates inside a flower.