Species Athrips mouffetella - Ten-spotted Honeysuckle Moth - Hodges#1852

1852

dotted grey moth

Athrips mouffetella (Linnaeus, 1758), Epithectis mouffetella

Wingspan c. 15mm; 9 mm long.

Head: Brownish-gray. Palpi same, underside of segment 2 darker, thick. Segment 3 narrow, ½ as long as 2, tips pointed; light with brown ring near tip.

Antenna: Brownish-gray with faint white rings.

Thorax: Brownish-gray.

Wings: Forewings brownish-gray with two sets of 4 black dots arched across both wings. One or two fainter black dots and a faint streak near wing base and a faded series of black dots around wing tip. Fringe slightly grayer with a lighter stripe through it. Hindwings grayish white, mottled. Fringe long and gray.

Legs: Dark brownish-gray, ringed with white. Hind thigh (femora) white, hairy (scaled), long spurs.

Abdomen: Dark brownish-gray.

Note: Information taken from websites in England and Europe.

Genitalia:

Europe. US. Perhaps introduced

In Ontario since 2005 (per BugGuide), Quebec, Massachusetts, Texas and Oklahoma

Forest edges, field edges, gardens.

July to September in North America.

In Europe, the adults are found from June to August. (1)

Larvae feed on Lonicera spp. (Honeysuckle) including the invasive Lonicera tatarica and Snowberry Symphoricarpos

One generation per year. Larva feed in silked-together leaves at twig tips in May and June. Larvae are dark gray to black. Head and shield are always black. First two thorax segments have a double white dash at center top. The first 5 segments have a broken white line along each side. Feet and tail lighter. Pupa is entirely covered in the typical hard, reddish covering.

The European Honeysuckle Ypsolopha dentella larva also feed on honeysuckle in silked-together leaves, but they are green with a purplish-red dorsal (top) stripe. The pupa remains in a silken wrap with pointed ends on top of a leaf.

In England adults fly at night from July to September

Moth Photographers Group (MPG)

Barcode of Life (BOLD)

Wikipedia