Hantsmoths

Endangered (proposed as a future Red Data Book species). Known in Britain only from a single specimen found resting on a rock at about 500 m near Braemar, Aberdeenshire; a long-established resident, having been hitherto overlooked owing to the inaccessibility of its haunts and the rarity of its foodplants; vacated feeding places were found at the Scottish locality in September 1984. Unlikely to be recorded in Hampshire or on the Isle of Wight. Wingspan 10-12 mm. Imago seldom encountered at light, and more likely to be recorded in the larval stage. Larva mines leaves of Tea-leaved Willow, over-wintering as a pupa in a cocoon.