Hantsmoths

Endangered (proposed as a future Red Data Book species) in damp woodland, known only from a single locality in Avon. Unlikely to be recorded in Hampshire or on the Isle of Wight. Wingspan 16-18 mm. Like many of the Coleophora, imagines are virtually impossible to identify without recourse to dissection, and the larvae, which live in cases of characteristic form and which can sometimes be found on the foodplant, may be easier to identify by comparison against a reference collection. Larva feeds within seed capsules of Ragged-Robin, living within a movable case constructed from an empty seed case, which is then attached to successive pods, while the larva feeds in the same manner on the seeds (MBGBI Vol 3).