''Scythris siccella'' is a

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...

of the family Scythrididae first described by the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

entomologist Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as arach ...

Philipp Christoph Zeller in 1839, found in Europe.

Description

The moth flies in July and can be found on flowers, preferring dry sandy habitats. It has a wingspan of circa 9 mm. The larvae can be found in May and are

polyphagous Feeding is the process by which organisms, typically animals, obtain food. Terminology often uses either the suffixes -vore, -vory, or -vorous from Latin ''vorare'', meaning "to devour", or -phage, -phagy, or -phagous from Greek φαγε ...

, feeding on the following species; kidney vetch ('' Anthyllis vulneraria''), sea thrift ('' Armeria maritima''), chickweed ('' Cerastium'' species), common rock-rose ('' Helianthemum nummularium''), common bird's-foot trefoil ('' Lotus corniculatus''), restharrow ( ''Ononis spinosa'' subsp. ''procurrens''), mouse-ear hawkweed ('' Pilosella officinarum''), plantain ('' Plantago'' species), small scabious (''

Scabiosa columbaria ''Scabiosa columbaria'', called the small scabious or dwarf pincushion flower, is a widespread species of flowering plant in the genus ''Scabiosa'', native to Europe, Africa, and western Asia, from Sweden to Angola. In the garden it is a short-li ...

''), thyme (''

Thymus The thymus is a specialized primary lymphoid organ of the immune system. Within the thymus, thymus cell lymphocytes or ''T cells'' mature. T cells are critical to the adaptive immune system, where the body adapts to specific foreign invaders. ...

'' species) and rock-rose (''

Tuberaria ''Tuberaria'' is a genus of about 12 species of annual or perennial plants in the rockrose family Cistaceae, native to western and southern Europe. They occur on dry, stony sites, often close to the sea. The leaves are in a rosette at the base ...

'' species). Larvae form a tube made from grains of sand and silk attached to the stem of the plant and mine into the leaves. Pupation is in a silken cocoon just below the surface of the sand.

Distribution

The moth is found in Europe. In Great Britain it is known only from

Chesil Beach Chesil Beach (also known as Chesil Bank) in Dorset, England is one of three major shingle beach structures in Britain.A. P. Carr and M. W. L. Blackley, "Investigations Bearing on the Age and Development of Chesil Beach, Dorset, and the Associat ...

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q13378492 siccella Moths described in 1839 Moths of Europe Taxa named by Philipp Christoph Zeller