Tortricidae

49.094 Pied Buckthorn Beauty Phtheochroa sodaliana (Haworth, 1811)

Notable B

Similar species:

Forewing: 6.5 to 8mm

Habitats: Scrub and hedgerows in calcareous areas.

Habits: The moth rests on plant foliage in the early evening. It flies from about half an hour before dusk and later comes to light.

Foodplant: The larva burrows into the green, ripening berries of Purging Buckthorn. It often spins adjacent berries together with silk. Infested berries turn purple earlier than sound ones. In late-August the full-fed larva overwinters in a spinning in a crevice in the bark, where it pupates in May.

On the European mainland it has also been recorded feeding on Alder Buckthorn.