Notocelia rosaecolana

Wingspan 16 to 20 mm. One of three very similar species, also including E. trimaculana and E roborana. It is generally larger than trimaculana and has broader wings and a more strongly curved costa. The dark area at the base of the wing is less dark than in roborana and its outer edge less straight and less sharply defined. ALERT: It has been highlighted very recently that the identification of Notocelia trimaculana and Notocelia rosaecolana on external characters alone may be unreliable. Virtually all recent literature, including the popular Field Guide to Micro Moths [Sterling/Parsons/Lewington] and Bird-dropping Tortrix Moths [Clifton/Wheeler] give characters to separate them, and it may well be that very fresh and well-marked individuals will be correctly identified, however there is sufficient doubt that a review is necessary. For now please continue to record these species as N. trimaculana or N. rosaecolana (any aggregation can be done subsequently). Please save good examples for gen det. and ideally photograph these beforehand. The larvae feed on rose including cultivated varieties, spinning together the leaves of young shoots. They are especially fond of Sweet Briar or Eglantine (Rosa rubiginosa). The species is widespread but most common in the south. In the Butterfly Conservation's Microlepidoptera Report 2011 this species was classified as common.