Schoenobius gigantella (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) Species
Last modified: Oct. 25, 2023, 6:30 p.m.
A not so common and local species in Belgium, more observed in the north of the country.
Details
- Classification
- Family: Crambidae > Subfamily: Schoenobiinae > Genus: Schoenobius > Species: Schoenobius gigantella
- Vernacular names
- Rietsnuitmot (NL), Riesenzünsler (DE)
- First mention in Belgium
- De Sélys-Longchamps E. 1844. Énumération des insectes Lépidoptères de la Belgique. — Mémoires de la Société royale des Sciences de Liége 2: 1–35. On page 22. view page
- Status
-
Native
Distribution
Imago
The difference between sexes (in addition to the different body-wing ratio) is by the length of the antennae: ♂ antennae are about half as long as the wings, with ♀ significantly shorter.
Museum specimens
Specimens in nature
Bionomics
The larva feeds on the young shoots of the ffod plant, often below the surface of the water. When it has finished feeding in a stem it cuts off a piece of reed about its own length and floats on this on the surface of the water until it reaches a new stem. Pupation in a stem below a prepared exit-hole.
The adults fly at dusk and later come to light.
Flight periods
The adults have been observed from May towards early September.
Observed on
- Host plant (species):
- Glyceria maxima
- Host plant (genera):
- Phragmites
The larva lives on Phragmites or Glyceria maxima.
