Hantsmoths

Local in damp areas in mountains and acid bogs in the Scottish Highlands, the only alpine species in the British Isles. It closely resembles S. bipunctidactyla but was not recognised as a British species until Gibeaux (1985) identified specimens in G A K Hervey's collection in the BMNH, dating from 1954. In Britain the foodplant appears to be Mossy Saxifrage Saxifraga hypnoides as opposed to S. cespitosa or adscendens on the continent, which are rare or absent in our country. Scottish specimens appear to be paler than those from Iceland and Norway.