Endothenia oblongana

• Subfamily: Olethreutinae, Endotheniini
• Wingspan: 11-16 mm
• Flight period: May - Aug
• Spread: Uncommon
• Host plants: Polyphagous

Information

The Endothenia oblongana is a moth of the Tortricidae family, subfamily Olethreutinae, with a wingspan of 11-15 mm.
It is widespread in Central Western Europe and in part of the Balkan Peninsula, in particular it is absent from Portugal, Ireland, Iceland, Switzerland, Croatia, Poland, and southern European Russia. *
In Italy it is also present in the islands. *

The front wings of Endothenia oblongana have a cream-colored background, with more marked ocher, hazelnut and brown streaks in the discal region sometimes with the appearance of a single fascia. Usually shows greyish areas in the basal region.
A band in the background color crosses the post-discal region to the inner corner.

Another less defined band, in the same color as the previous one, is visible in the basal region. Inside, shades of gray, ocher and brown are visible.
The apical ocellus is not well defined and is ocher in color. The costa has small signs, in brown and cream colors. The edge of the wing is fringed in brown, and in the cream color in the inner corner. The rear wing is grayish / brown, it has white fringes with shades in the background color. **, ***

The costa has small signs, in brown and cream colors. The edge of the wing is fringed in brown, and in the cream color in the inner corner.
The rear wing is greyish / brown, has white fringes with shades in the background color. **, ***

The adults are visible from May to the first days of August, usually frequents open meadows. It overwinters in the larva stage.

The larvae feed on various herbaceous plants such as Cirsium, Centaurea nigra (dark cornflower), Dipsacus sp. (Cardo), Scabiosa, Plantago sp. (plantain), Stachys (betonica). ****


* Lepidoptera mundi https://lepidoptera.eu/ - Fauna Europea https://fauna-eu.org/
** Bestimmungshilfe für die in Europa nachgewiesenen Schmetterlingsarten - http://lepiforum.de/
*** Doremi G.- Tortricidae della Bassa Friulana - Osservazioni dal 2010 al 2017 pp.12-13 - https://www.academia.edu/35940769/Tortricidae_della_Bassa_Friulana **** Online guide to the moths of Great Britain and Ireland - http://www.ukmoths.org.uk