Hantsmoths

Nationally scarce (Na) in open grassland, dry pastures and scrub in the southern counties of England, from Kent to Devon, thence discontinuously to the south Midlands and Suffolk, Lincolnshire, Yorkshire and Lancashire; only from Glamorgan and Merionethshire in Wales (MBGBI Vol 4 part 1). Declining, especially in the south. There are three old records from the Isle of Wight, and most recently reported from Brockenhurst, New Forest, in 1970. Wingspan 18-21 mm. Resembles D. olerella, which has the forewing with an acutely angled pale fascia at two-thirds, and a dark thorax; the second discal stigma is smaller and less conspicuous than that of D. albipunctella; the latter species has a dark fuscous suffusion over the inner one-third of the base of the forewing which is not present in D. olerella. Larva feeds on Wild Carrot, Upright Hedge-parsley, Cow Parsley and Rough Chervil, living between leaves spun together with silk.

VC10 Isle of Wight