Alucita cf. grammodactyla

Zeller, 1841

  • Subfamily:
  • Wingspan: 11-14 mm
  • Flight period: Apr - Sep
  • Spread: Uncommon
  • Host plants: Dipsacaceae

Information

The Alucita grammodactyla is a small moth of the Alucitidae family with a wingspan of 11-14 mm. It is found in most of Europe, with the exception of Ireland, Great Britain, Portugal, Norway, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Slovenia and Greece. Some findings also show the damage in Turkey. In Italy it is absent from the islands *

With the typical wings of the family and the coloring very similar to many congeners, the identification can be made by the arrangement of the spots on the costa and by the shape and color of tufts on the palps.

The habitat consists of meadows rich in humidity, eutrophic and mesotrophic meadows (with high or medium presence of nutrients), meadows of hills and mountains, acid pastures and moors.
Adults are visible in flight from April to September in two generations. The larvae are pale yellow with a yellowish brown head.

The larvae feed on Dipsacaceae such as Scabiosa columbaria and Scabiosa canescens.


* Lepidoptera mundi https://lepidoptera.eu/ - Fauna Europea https://fauna-eu.org/

Alucita grammodactyla
Alucita grammodactyla