Noctuidae

73.142 Small Rufous Coenobia rufa (Haworth, 1809)

Local

Similar species: Small Wainscot Denticucullus pygmina is a larger (10 to 14mm), more robust looking moth with a comparitively longer, narrower forewing with a straighter leading edge.

Forewing: 10 to 12mm

Habitats: The drier parts of marshes, fens, bogs, wet meadows and damp coastal grassland.

Habits: The moth flies before dusk and later in the evening it comes to light.

Foodplant: The larva feeds inside the stems of Soft Rush, Jointed Rush and Sharp-flowered Rush, changing stems as it grows. It pupates in an old stem near the ground.

On the European mainland it has also been recorded feeding on Blunt-flowered Rush.