Noctuidae

73.004 Slender Burnished Brass Thysanoplusia orichalcea (Fabricius, 1775)

Immigrant / Adventive

Similar species: Burnished Brass Diachrysia chrysitis has a broader wing and the brassy area running almost from the leading edge to the trailing edge near the base of the wing forming an "H" shape across the whole forewing, rather than trailing out almost to a point in the central base of the wing.

Forewing: 17 to 20mm

Habitats: In Africa and the Mediterranean region it inhabits scrubby, flower-rich meadows, rocky hillsides and arid slopes.

Habits: The moth comes to light.

Foodplant: The early stages have not been recorded in the wild in Britain, although larvae are sometimes imported with Chrysanthemum spp. In Africa and the Mediterranean region the larva are polyphagous on plants in the daisy family Asteraceae or Compositae and the cabbage family Cruciferae and others including Fennel, Viper's Bugloss, Pitch Trefoil, Geranium spp. and Solanum spp. and Tickseed Coreopsis spp. In captivity it accepts the leaves of Potato, Dandelion and Chrysanthemum spp. It pupates under a flimsy web on a leaf of the foodplant.