Hantsmoths

Rare (proposed as a future Red Data Book species) on rough ground in parts of Wales and north-western England. Unlikely to be recorded in Hampshire or on the Isle of Wight. Wingspan 15-17 mm. Differs from C. rosaceana by its comparatively broad forewing in which the general coloration is olive-brown or ferruginous-brown compared with the much paler and distinctly pinkish coloration of C. rosaceana; in C. rufana the median fascia of the forewing is never so strongly developed as in C. striana [Bradley]. As published by Heckford and Beaven in the Entomologist's Gazette 63: 217-221 (2012), the larva fed on decaying leaves of Taraxacum officinale agg., except for a short period, and not on the roots of certain Asteraceae species as given in the literature.