Noctuidae

73.143 Brighton Wainscot Oria musculosa (Hübner, [1808])

Immigrant / Extinct as a resident

Similar species: A distinctive moth with two pale stripes running lengthways along the buff forewing.

Forewing: 12 to 16mm

Habitats: Arable fields, field margins and road verges.

Habits: The moth rests on the foodplants after dusk and comes to light. The last three of the native population on Salisbury Plain were recorded in 2001.

Foodplant: The larva feeds in the stems of grasses. It then moves into cereal stems and then the ears of cereals, such as Winter Wheat, Oats, Barley and Summer Rye. It pupates in the soil below the foodplant.