Hantsmoths

Vulnerable (proposed as a future Red Data Book species) on limestone pavements, rocky areas and mountains. First added to the British list on the basis of specimens collected in 1962 from the Burren; first recorded in Britain in 1969 on Rum and subsequently found on Coll and, in 2000, Aberdeenshire. Unlikely to be recorded in Hampshire or on the Isle of Wight. Wingspan 9-10 mm. The smallest Scrobipalpa in western and northern Europe, it may be mistaken for a pale or worn example of Thyme Moth S. artemisiella, although they can be distinguished on genitalia differences (MBGBI Vol 4 part 2). Larva mines leaves of Mountain Everlasting, subsequently feeding on the flowerheads, over-wintering as a pupa.