Anarsia spartiella

This record describes Anarsia spartiella (species). Recorded family: Gelechiidae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.

Identification and Appearance

Wingspan 12 to 15 mm. The wings may be relatively plain, or have darker and paler mottling. The long, upwardly curved, labial palps of the female protrude from a large tuft of scales, but the shorter palps of the male are concealed in the tuft. In May and June, the larvae spin the shoots of Gorse, Broom or Dyer's Greenweed, feeding within. Distributed throughout much of England, local in Scotland and mostly coastal in Wales and Ireland. In the Butterfly Conservation's Microlepidoptera Report 2011 this species was classified as local. No additional images available for this species.

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Gelechiidae
Genus: Anarsia

Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.

Habitat and Range

Habitat

Where the larval host plants occur.

Seasonal Activity

On the wing between June and August.

Diet and Behavior

Life History

In May and June, the larvae spin the shoots of Gorse, Broom or Dyer's Greenweed, feeding within.

Additional species information

Recorded status

Distributed throughout much of England, local in Scotland and mostly coastal in Wales and Ireland. In the Butterfly Conservation's Microlepidoptera Report 2011 this species was classified as local.

About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group

Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Anarsia spartiella. Species-specific details appear above.

Group overview

Lepidoptera includes approximately 180,000 described species of butterflies and moths. Moths outnumber butterflies roughly 10:1. The monarch butterfly's eastern population has declined by more than 80% since the mid-1990s, and the western population by over 95% since the 1980s. The IUCN lists the migratory monarch as Vulnerable.

Ecological role of the group

Butterflies and moths are essential indicators of ecosystem health. As caterpillars, they are a primary food source for birds - a single nest of blue tit chicks requires ~10,000 caterpillars. Adult moths pollinate many night-blooming plants.

Economic and practical significance of the group

Lepidoptera are critical pollinators. In Europe, grassland butterfly species have declined by almost 50% since the early 1990s. In the UK, three-quarters of butterflies are in decline. In the U.S., five butterfly species have gone extinct since 1950, with 29 listed as endangered.

Recorded sources for this group: IUCN Red List, Xerces Society, USFWS, PNAS, WWF. Imported estimates may describe particular regions or reporting periods.

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