Tortricidae

49.122 Short-barred Straw Aethes dilucidana (Stephens, 1852)

Notable B

Similar species:

Forewing: 5.5 to 7mm

Habitats: Chalk grassland, limestone grassland, coastal slopes and quarries.

Habits: The moth is easily disturbed in the day. It flies over the foodplant just before sunset and later comes to light.

Foodplant: The larva spins the seeds of Wild Parsnip and Hogweed and feeds on their contents. In late September the larva leaves the seed-head and travels down the stem, then bores into it and mines upward, consuming the pith until it reaches a node, where it hibernates full-fed. Its presence can be detected by white powder at the leaf axil where it entered the stem. In early May just before it pupates in the stem, it mines outwards, making an exit and leaving only a cover of bark.