Last modified: May 5, 2024, 10:36 a.m.
First observation for Belgium of this very rare species was in 2012 in WV.
Native
Wingspan 11–15 mm. This species is overall browner than most other Cochylis species. It has a brown thorax and head with a variable mix of white. There is a dorsal mark and two quadrate marks on the costa one at the base and one centrally. The terminal third is well marked with specific marks along the termen.
Pale yellow colour.
The larvae feed in the flowers and seed heads on the food plant. The autumn generation hibernate in a cocoon on the ground in which they pupate. The summer generation pupate in the flower head.
The moths can be found resting on the leaves of its food plant during the day and later come to light.
They fly onwards from mid-May towards late September, occasionally later.
The larva lives on Helminthotheca echioides.
It frequents rough grassland, scrub, and waste ground where the food plant grows.