Cossidae

50.001 Goat Moth Cossus cossus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Notable B

Similar species: This moth is unlikely to be mistaken for any other British or Irish species.

Forewing: 32 to 42mm

Habitats: River-banks, marshland, fens, damp or wetland areas of hedgerows, parkland or woodland edge.

Habits: The moth is nocturnal and occasionally comes to light. The females are sometimes attracted to the sweet smell of sugar, but cannot feed.

Foodplant: The larva feeds under the bark or within the trunks and branches of birches, willows, sallows, Alder, Ash, Sweet Chestnut, English Elm, poplars, oaks, apples and other deciduous trees, especially fruit trees. The larva overwinters three or four times. The final winter is spent in a cocoon in rotten wood or the soil where it pupates in the spring. In captivity the larva can be reared within eating apples.