Morley’s Final Catalogue: Not listed.

Recent Status: Well recorded across Suffolk.

Life Style: This is a single brooded species that flies by day and occasionally comes to light. It flies during June, July and August. The larvae feed on seeds of Melilotus altissimus, M, albus and M. officinalis. They hibernate fully fed in the last larval case on the ground where they pupate in spring.

Identification: The moth is the largest of the British bronze species at 15 to 20 mm wing span which separates it from any similar species. The antennae are clothed with projecting scales to one sixth in the female but only on the basal two or three segments in the male.
The larvae initially mine into a seed and then use the seed to construct a mobile case. Subsequently they may use up to three empty seed husks spun together with silk and a silken anal end. They may stay in this case for hibernation and pupation else use a separate whole pod of a suitable size. The anal end of the final case is trivalved and the oral opening set at around 70 degrees to the long axis. More Info

Verification Grade Comment: Adult: Size of moth and antenna details essential

Recorded in 26 (45%) of 58 10k Squares. First Recorded in 1998. Last Recorded in 2023. Additional Stats

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