Noctuidae

73.100 Silky Wainscot Chilodes maritima (Tauscher, 1806)

Local

Similar species: Although variable, if care is taken this moth is unlikely to be mistaken for any other British or Irish species.

Forewing: 13 to 15mm

Habitats: The drier parts of reed-beds with a ground layer of leaf litter.

Habits: The moth flies from dusk and comes to light.

Foodplant: The larva feeds on the inner tissue of dead and dying Common Reed stems and also the invertebrates that it encounters. It will accept meat fats in captivity. It pupates in an old reed stem.

On the European mainland it has also been recorded feeding on Reedmace.