Crambidae

63.040 Madder Pearl Mecyna asinalis (Hübner, [1819])

Notable B

Similar species:

Forewing: 13 to 16mm

Habitats: Coastal cliffs and scrub, quarries and hedgerows inland.

Habits: The moth is nocturnal. It visits the flowers of Heather and Common Ragwort after dark. It comes to light.

Foodplant: The larva feed on Wild Madder. It eats large white 'windows' in the leaves, having eaten the underside and leaving the upper surface intact. It will also eat the flowers and developing seeds. The autumn generation of larva overwinters in a dead rolled leaf on the ground and resumes feeding in the spring. It pupates in a silk cocoon in the leaf litter.