Hantsmoths

Local in woodland, in England and Wales, from Somerset to the Lake District, reasonably well distributed in East Anglia. The first Hampshire records were in the far north-east corner in the autumn of 2022; probably overlooked, and found further west in the Basingstoke area in 2024. Wingspan 4.5-6 mm. The moth is dark bronze brown with a golden sheen base and purple tip, a black head tuft and cream collar and scape, but dissection or breeding through of moth required for identification. Larva mines the leaves of lime (Tilia sp.), creating a long and contorted gallery from an ovum laid on the underside of a leaf. The mine is a contorted gallery filled with coiled frass. The larva is pale yellow, with a pale brown head, active in July, and September to October. See national distribution here in the NBN Atlas.