Oxyptilus chrysodactyla
Encyclopedia
Oxyptilus chrysodactyla is a moth
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...

 of the Pterophoridae family. It is found in most of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

, except most of the Balkan Peninsula, Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...

, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

 and Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

.

The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...

 is 15-21 mm. Adults are brown. The upperside of the wings is bright brownish with bright white bands. The underside of the wings are dark grey-brown, although they become lighter near the end. Adults are on wing from June to August. They fly during the day and at dusk.

The larvae feed on Hieracium umbellatum, Hieracium amplexicaule, Hieracium sabaudum
Hieracium sabaudum
Hieracium sabaudum, also known as New England Hawkweed, is a species in the Asteraceae.- Common names :...

and Picris hieracioides
Picris hieracioides
Picris hieracioides or Hawkweed Oxtongue is a species in the daisy family .- External links :*...

. They feed in the heart of their host plant and later spin the top-leaves together. Pupation occurs on the upper surface of a leaf or along the stem.
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