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Choreutidae : Choreutinae

Anthophila fabriciana

ANTHOPHILA fabriciana (Linnaeus, 1767)
Picture
Life Cycle Guide
Picture
Description
Alternative Name: Nettle-tap : Common Nettle-tap
Wingspan: 10-15mm
Worldwide Distribution: Europe : Asia Minor : Siberia : Sakhalin : Japan
UK Distribution: Common throughout Great Britain
UK Conservation Status -
  • Common = >300 10Km Squares
European Conservation Status -
  • Least Concern
Original Species Name:-
  • Phalaena (Tortrix) fabriciana Linnaeus, 1767
Type Species - Anthophila
  • Phalaena fabriciana Linnaeus, 1767
Type Locality -
  • Europe - Hammarby
Flight Period: March-November-Double brooded
Habitat: Gardens : Roadside verges : Rough ground : Woodland : Hedgerows
Similar Species -
  • Apple Leaf Skeletoniser Choreutis pariana Clerck, 1759
  • Prochoreutis sehestediana Fabricius, 1776
Larva: Feed on the outside of the larval food plant within a silk web
Pupa: Pupates in dense spindle shaped cocoon
Observations: This small moth,like its common name of Nettle-tap is often found in good numbers around clumps of Stinging Nettles Urtica dioica.

The Nettle -tap is easily reconised by the two white markings along the egdges of the costa and with no spots on the forewing whereas the similar species P.sehestediana Fabricius, 1776 has markings along the costa and numerous spots on the forewings.
The other similar species Apple leaf Skeletoniser has no white markings along the costa.

The moth is a day flyer and occasionally comes to light.

The larval food plants all comes from the Urticaeae genus (Nettles)


Photo Gallery
Larval Food Plants Worldwide
Note - Plants hyperlinked in red below take the visitor to the relevant plant page on"Plants for a Future" website where further information like photos,physical characteristics,habitats,edible uses,medicinal uses,cultivation,propagation,range,height etc. are clearly listed.
  • Plant Families - in bold red below takes the visitor to the relevant "Lepi-plants" page where other butterflies & moths using the plants below are listed.
Larval Food Plants
Taxonomy
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Type Species - ANTHOPHILA:

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Literary Ref:

Type Locality:
Animalia
Eumetozoa
Arthropoda
Hexapoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Choreutoidea
Choreutidae
Choreutinae
ANTHOPHILA Haworth, 1811
Anthophila fabriciana (Linnaeus, 1767)
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Phalaena fabriciana Linnaeus, 1767
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PHALAENA (Tortrix) fabriciana Linnaeus, 1767
= Phalaena Tinea oxyancanthella Linnaeus, 1767
= Tortrix urticana Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775
= Xylopoda urticana Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775
= Pyralis fabriciana Fabricius 1781
= Phalaena Pallium excisum Retzius, 1783
= Phalaena Tortrix gilibertiana C. Villers, 1789
= Anthophila oxyacanthae Fabricius, 1794
= Crambus oxyacanthae Fabricius, 1798
= Tortrix dentana Hübner, 1799
= Pyralis dentalis Hübner, 1799
= Anthophila fabricii Haworth, 1811
= Hemerophila dentana Hübner, 1825
= Xylopoda dentana Berthold, 1827
= Xylopoda fabriciana Latreille, 1829
= Asopia alternalis Treitschke, 1829
= Simaethis fabriciana Stephens, 1829
= Choreutis alternalis Treitschke, 1835
= Simaethis parietariae  Stainton, 1855
= Simaethis parietariae Stainton, 1855
= Choreutis fabriciana De Graaf, 1862
= Phalaena Tortrix oxyacanthana Holle, 1865
= Simaethis oxyacanthella Zeller, 1868
= Hemerophila fabriciana Walsingham, 1907
= Anthophila fabriciana Diakonoff, 1986
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Syst. Nat.(Edn 12) 1 (2):  Title Page : p.880 - n.324
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Sweden-Hammarby