Bryotropha terrella (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) Species
Last modified: Feb. 26, 2024, 6:17 p.m.
A fairly common species throughout Belgium This species is the commonest of the genus Bryotropha in our country and fairly recognizable as a species.
Details
- Classification
- Family: Gelechiidae > Subfamily: Anomologinae > Genus: Bryotropha > Species: Bryotropha terrella
- Vernacular names
- Oranje mospalpmot (NL), Cinerous Neb , Cinerous Groundling (EN), Graue Palpenmotte (DE)
- Synonyms
- Bryotropha zephyrella (Treitschke, 1832), nec (Hübner, 1813)
- 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 24.
- Status
-
Native
Distribution
Imago
Wingspan 13–17 mm.
Museum specimens
No pictures yet!Specimens in nature
Genitalia
Bionomics
The larve lives in a spun tube attached to moss and occasionally to grass. Frass is extruded from the tube. They pupate in a tough cocoon in the larval habitation.
The adults are easely flushed from out of long grass during the daytime. They become active after sunset and later come to light.
Flight periods
The adults fly from early May till late August.
Observed on
The larva lives mainly on mosses, but also on Graminae. Following mosses are reported as hosts: Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus, Syntrichia ruraliformis, Hypnum jutlandicum, Calliergon cuspidatum, Eurhynchium striatum and grasses Agrostis capillaris.
Habitat
It inhabits in suitable localities where the food plant occurs and is found in a wide range of habitats.
