Synaphe punctalis

(Fabricius, 1775)

  • Subfamily: Pyralinae, Pyralini
  • Wingspan: 22-27 mm
  • Flight period: Jun - Aug
  • Spread: Common
  • Host plants: Hypnum cupressiforme and other mosses

Information

The Synaphe punctalis is a moth of the Pyralidae family, with a wingspan of 22-27 mm.
In Europe it is widespread practically everywhere except Ireland and Iceland. *
In Italy it is also present in the islands. *

The front wings of Synaphe punctalis have an ocher/brown background color with shaded, darker markings. There is a light wavy line, edged in dark shades of the background, in the direction of the body, in the post-discal area that crosses the entire wing.
From this line to the outer edge, the color of the wing can progressively darken, as it approaches the edge, even in shades of brown. This feature is not present in all specimens.

The costa is black, with small cream-colored inserts that create a hatch, up to the intersection with the post-discal line, subsequently it takes on the background color of the wing. Females, as a rule, are darker in color than males.

The rear wing is gray in color and may have intense dark dusting, more intense towards the edge which is fringed in all wings.
It has long palps in the background color of the front wings as well as the head and thorax, while the abdomen usually has a slightly darker shade. **

The Synaphe punctalis flies in a single generation from June to August, and is visible in gravelly and sandy environments, dunes and dry and limestone areas. With no apparent preference between day and night. Can be drawn from artificial light
It overwinters in the larva stage.
The larva lives in a light cobweb hidden in the moss, but expelling its excrement on the surface.

The pupation takes place in a silk cocoon among the moss. ***

The egg is elliptical, white and knurled. *
Larva is dark gray / deep black in color, with dark brown head, prothoracic and anal plates. **
The pupa is ocher / brown in color. **

The Synaphe punctalis larva prefers the Hypnum cupressiforme, although it can be found on other moss species that grow on the ground in damp places. ***


* Lepidoptera mundi https://lepidoptera.eu/ - Fauna Europea https://fauna-eu.org/
** Bestimmungshilfe für die in Europa nachgewiesenen Schmetterlingsarten - http://lepiforum.de/ -
*** Catalogue of the Lepidoptera of Belgium - https://projects.biodiversity.be/lepidoptera/species/4915/

Synaphe punctalis
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