Epiblema costipunctana
This record describes Epiblema costipunctana (species). Recorded family: Tortricidae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.
Identification and Appearance
Wingspan 13 to 18 mm. A well marked moth with reddish brown patterning and a broad pale blotch. This species can be found on open uncultivated and waste ground and similar habitats, especially where ragwort is present. The moths are bivoltine in the south, flying from May to July and again from late July to September. In Scotland there is one generation, in June and July. The moths can sometimes be found at rest on the foodplant by day. The foodplant is ragwort (Senecio jacobaea), the larvae feeding internally in the stems or roots. Found throughout much of the British Isles, though it is more local in Scotland. In the Butterfly Conservation's Microlepidoptera Report 2011 this species was classified as common.
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Lepidoptera
- Family
- Tortricidae
- Genus
- Epiblema
Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.
Habitat and Range
Habitat
This species can be found on open uncultivated and waste ground and similar habitats, especially where ragwort is present.
Seasonal Activity
The moths are bivoltine in the south, flying from May to July and again from late July to September. In Scotland there is one generation, in June and July. The moths can sometimes be found at rest on the foodplant by day.
Diet and Behavior
Life History
The foodplant is ragwort (Senecio jacobaea), the larvae feeding internally in the stems or roots.
Additional species information
Recorded status
Found throughout much of the British Isles, though it is more local in Scotland. In the Butterfly Conservation's Microlepidoptera Report 2011 this species was classified as common.
About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group
Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Epiblema costipunctana. 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.
Photos of Epiblema costipunctana (9)
Frequently Asked Questions About Epiblema costipunctana
What is Epiblema costipunctana?
Epiblema costipunctana is a species in the family Tortricidae, within the order Lepidoptera.
Where is Epiblema costipunctana found?
Habitat: This species can be found on open uncultivated and waste ground and similar habitats, especially where ragwort is present.
When is Epiblema costipunctana active?
Epiblema costipunctana: seasonal activity - The moths are bivoltine in the south, flying from May to July and again from late July to September. In Scotland there is one generation, in June and July. The moths can sometimes be found at rest on the foodplant by day..
What is the life cycle of a Epiblema costipunctana?
The foodplant is ragwort (Senecio jacobaea), the larvae feeding internally in the stems or roots.