''Endothenia marginana'', the downland marble, is a

moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...

of the family

Tortricidae The Tortricidae are a family of moths, commonly known as tortrix moths or leafroller moths, in the order Lepidoptera. This large family has over 11,000 species described, and is the sole member of the superfamily Tortricoidea, although the genu ...

. It was described by

Adrian Hardy Haworth Adrian Hardy Haworth (19 April 1767, in Kingston upon Hull, Hull – 24 August 1833, in Chelsea, London, Chelsea) was an England, English entomologist, botanist and carcinologist. Family The younger son of Benjamin Haworth, of Haworth Hall and ...

in 1811. It is found in almost all of Europe and across the

Palearctic The Palearctic or Palaearctic is a biogeographic realm of the Earth, the largest of eight. Confined almost entirely to the Eastern Hemisphere, it stretches across Europe and Asia, north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa. Th ...

. The

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the opposite wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingsp ...

is 11–16 mm. The male can be identified by the white hind wings, but the female is difficult to determine based on its external appearance alone. Dissection of the genitalia is necessary to determine ''Endothenia'' species with certainty. The forewings pattern is dark brown, grey, black and white. In the outer part there is an irregular white cross-band that is often interrupted in the middle. The male's hind wings are characteristically silky white with brown dusting in the outer part, while the female has brown hind wings like most other ''Endothenia'' species. The larva is pale orange. Adults are on wing from late May to August.UKmoths
/ref> The larvae feed on ''

Dipsacus fullonum ''Dipsacus fullonum'', syn. ''Dipsacus sylvestris'', is a species of flowering plant known by the common names wild teasel or fuller's teasel, although the latter name is usually applied to the cultivated variety ''D. fullonum'' var. ''sativus' ...

'', ''

Betonica officinalis ''Betonica officinalis'', common name betony is a species of flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae, native to Europe, western Asia, and northern Africa. Other vernacular names include wood betony, common hedgenettle, purple betony, bishopw ...

'', ''

Galeopsis ''Galeopsis'' is a genus of annual herbaceous plants native to Europe and Asia. Members of this genus often have common names ending in hemp-nettle or hempnettle. Some species are naturalized in North America and New Zealand. The plants are pois ...

'' species, ''

Pedicularis ''Pedicularis'' is a genus of Perennial plant, perennial green Parasitic plant, root parasite plants currently placed in the family Orobanchaceae (the genus previously having been placed in Scrophulariaceae ''sensu lato''). Uses Pedicularis ...

'' species, ''

Rhinanthus ''Rhinanthus'' is a genus of annual parasitic plant, hemiparasitic herbaceous plants in the family Orobanchaceae, formerly classified in the family Scrophulariaceae. Its species are commonly known as rattles. The genus consists of about 30 to 40 ...

'' species and ''

Plantago lanceolata ''Plantago lanceolata'' is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family Plantaginaceae. It is known by the common names ribwort plantain, narrowleaf plantain, English plantain, ribleaf, lamb's tongue, and buckhorn. It is a common weed on ...

''. They feed within the seedheads of their host plant. Larvae can be found from September to June.

References

''Endothenia marginana'' in lotmoths catalog
Moths described in 1811 Endotheniini Moths of Europe Moths of Asia {{Olethreutinae-stub