Tortricidae

49.113 Orange Beauty Commophila aeneana (Hübner, [1800])

Notable B

Similar species:

Forewing: 6 to 8mm

Habitats: Rough grassland on heavy clay.

Habits: Occasionally disturbed in warm weather, otherwise only found when sitting on the flower umbel at sunset, from where it makes short, low flights.

Foodplant: The larva feeds within the root of Common Ragwort. In late autumn when full-fed it mines up the stem for about eight centimetres, where it gnaws around the stem walls and spins the top of its mine. It overwinters in this part of the stem and pupates in late April. During the winter the weakened stem breaks at the top of the mine, which later allows the emerging moth to escape.