Crambus uliginosellus

• Subfamily: Crambinae
• Wingspan: 18-23 mm
• Flight period: Jun - Jul
• Spread: Common
• Host plants: Sphagnum sp. - Eriophorum angustifolium

Information

The Crambus uliginosellus also known as Marsh Grass-venee is a moth of the Crambidae family, subfamily Crambinae, with a wingspan of 18-23 mm.
It is currently present in most of Europe, with the exception of Portugal, Slovenia, Croatia and Ukraine.
In Italy it is present in Sardinia but not in Sicily. *

Moth that has anterior wings with a particular design with a wide white band, parallel to the costa, which goes from the basal region to the middle of the post-discal region, where it narrows to a spearhead; about halfway this band has a small smudging, with an angle of about 30 °, towards the inner margin, smudging that allows to distinguish it from the congener Crambus pascuellus .

This band covers half of the wing longitudinally, the other part of the wing is ocher, hazel / golden with a white inner margin.
The costa has a very fine hazelnut-colored band, a band that is thicker in similar species. A narrow curved line of hazelnut color crosses the wing in the submarginal region.
Near the apex a second line, parallel to the first, starts from the costa to intersect the margin in the median area. The margin is crossed by a brown line and by a series of 4 or 5 points of the same color, in the median and cubital area. The wing fringes, normally white, take a brown / golden tint in these areas.
The hind wings are translucent white, also fringed.
The palps are white on the top, hazel on the sides.

It prefers habitats with rich and humid and / or marshy soils. Easily visible during the day even if the flight time is from dusk onwards. Adults are found from June to July. The caterpillar phase has yet to be fully clarified.

The larvae were found in the silk tubes between Sphagnum cappellifolium and feeding on the leaves of Carex panicea. Some larvae have also been found at the base of the stems of Eriophorum angustifolium or between species of Sphagnum.**


* Lepidoptera mundi https://lepidoptera.eu/ - Fauna Europea https://fauna-eu.org/
** (RJ Heckford) https://ukmoths.org.uk/