Morley’s Final Catalogue: Not listed.

Recent Status: This species is widespread in Great Britain and has been found in Breckland.

Life Style: A single brooded species that flies during June, July and August. It flies by day and night and comes to light. The larvae feed on the unripe seeds of Thymus sp.. They hibernate in the case made from Thymus and move to a grass species in the following year. They mine grass species in spring before pupating.

Identification: This species and C. tricolor are very similar in the adult moths and larvae. The moths are distinctive. They are yellowish ochre with silver white stripes edged in black. The apex is curved and pointed projecting upwards when at rest. The genitalia structure is shown in the Moths and Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland and can be used to separate the males but is unsatisfactory for the females. The only clear difference between the live moths is that the antennae of C. tricolor are ringed for the entire length. In C. lixella the antennae are pale above and barred below (part-ringed) and completely unmarked in the terminal quarter. The scales on the basal two fifths are buff in C. lixella and grey in C. tricolor.

The larvae of both species feed on the seeds of a Labiatae species. For C. tricolor this is Acinos arvensis, for C. lixella this is Thymus species. Both construct a silken case through a floret to move between flowers. They then leave these to mine grass species. C. tricolor creates a case from the mined grass before hibernation. C. lixella hibernates in the Thymus case and constructs a case from mined grass in the spring. The cases of these species are similar with a bivalve anal end and an oral opening set at 25 degrees to the long axis. More Info

Verification Grade Comment: Adult: If photos, all complex antennal differences to exclude C. tricolor must be visible

	Determination by Genitalia Examination (gen. det.) Required

	Case: A good quality photo or specimen of the case and plant/pabulum and the bred moth is required.

Recorded in 1 (2%) of 58 10k Squares. First Recorded in 2021. Last Recorded in 2022. Additional Stats

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