Hantsmoths

Resident in Africa, Asia and Australia, it has now been introduced to Mediterranean Europe, from where wanderers or adventives have appeared in southern England nine times in Britain up to the end of 2017. Originally a native of tropical Asia and Africa, it is now widespread on continental Europe from Malta and Sicily to France. While larvae and pupae are occasionally discovered at airports, the first British record of an adult was an unlabelled specimen found in a series of Tortrix viridana, dated 1962, and possibly originating from Devon. The first trapped specimen was in Hampshire, at Brockenhurst on 8 October 1967, with another county record at Holbury on 28 October 2006. Others have turned up in Dorset, Gloucestershire, Northamptonshire and Cornwall. Wingspan 24-28 mm. Characterised by distinct antemedian, postmedian and subterminal fasciae, the most likely confusion species are Cream-bordered Green Pea E. clorana, which lacks vertical darker fasciae and has hindwing pure white, and Spiny Bollworm Earias biplaga, which see for differences. Larva feeds on Cotton, causing sufficient damage to be a serious pest in some areas, no evidence of breeding in the UK.

VC11 South Hampshire