| | Insects of Britain and Ireland: the genera of grass moths (Pyralidae-Crambinae and Schoenobiinae) |
Adults. Face without a conical hairy prominence. Proboscis functional.
Wingspan 19–26(–34) mm. The fringe not glistening-metallic. The fringe conspicuously chequered, or somewhat chequered (opposite the median stripe), or not chequered. Termen non-sinuate. Ground colour of the forewings ochreous, or brown, or grey. Forewings conspicuously patterned with contrasting colours. The patterning complex, or simple; restricted to longitudinal streaking, or comprising both longitudinal streaking and transverse markings. Forewings without a median line; transversely dark-lined towards the termen (C. verellus), or not transversely dark-lined towards the termen; the subterminal lines in C. verellus, conspicuously white-edged; with a strong white median streak (usually), or without a strong white median streak (e.g., C. verellus); the median streak interrupted by a cross-bar (C. permutatella, C. pinella), or without a cross-bar; with a conspicuous white apical mark (C. falsella and C. verellus), or without conspicuous white marks at or near the apex; without a scattering of large black scales. Forewing vein 7 arising from vein 8. Hindwings pale grey, or dark grey; plain.
Distribution and habitats. England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. Occurring in coastal locations and inland. In wet places, mesophytic habitats, and dry places (e.g., C. pinella widely distributed in marshy localities, C. margaritella widespread in bogs, wet heaths and damp places in open woodland, C. furcatella confined to grassy places at high elevations in Scotland, North Wales and the Lake District, C. falsella associated with mosses on walls). British species: C. falsella, C. furcatellus, C. lythargyrella, C. margaritella, C. osthelderi, C. permutatella, C. pinella, C. speculalis, C. verellus. Adults abroad July, July and August.
Larvae. Larvae feeding on mosses (C. falsella and C. verella), or monocots; Poaceae (C. furcatella), or Poaceae and Cyperaceae (C. pinella).
Subfamily. Crambinae.
Illustrations. • Catoptria (Crambus) furcatellus (Northern Grass-veneer: B. Ent. 109). • Catoptria (Crambus) furcatellus (legend+text: B. Ent. 109). • Catoptria falsella, C. furcatellus and C. verellus, with species of Crambus and Platytes: Leech, 1886. PYRALIDAE-CRAMBINAE. 1, Platytes cerussella; 2, Platytes alpinella. 3, Catoptria falsella; 4, Catoptria verellus. 5 and 6, Crambus pratella; 7, Crambus ericella; 8, Crambus sylvella; 9, Crambus hamella; 10, Crambus pascuella; 11, Crambus uliginosellus. 12, Catoptria furcatellus. Leech, 1886. • Catoptria permutatella and P. pinella, with species of Agriphila, Chrysocrambus, Chrysoteuchia, Crambus, Pediasia and Thisanotia: Leech, 1886. PYRALIDAE-CRAMBINAE. 1, Catoptria pinella; 2, Catoptria permutatella. 3, Agriphila latistria. 4, Crambus perlella; 5, Crambus perlella var. warringtonella. 6, Agriphila selasella. 7, Agriphila tristella. 8, Pediasia fascelinella. 9, Agriphila inquinatella. 10, Pediasia contaminella. 11, Agriphila geniculea; 12, Agriphila culmella. 13, Thisanotia chrysonuchella. 14, Chrysocrambus craterella. Leech, 1886. • Catoptria margaritella (specimen): photo. PYRALIDAE-CRAMBINAE. Catoptria margaritella. 2/7/49, Chorlton Moss, R.G. Warren. • Catoptria margaritella: Stephens IV, 1843. • Catoptria pinella (specimens): photo. PYRALIDAE-CRAMBINAE. Catoptria pinella. 30/7/56, Monk’s Wood, nr. Peterborough. L. Watson. • Catoptria furcatellus, C. margaritella, C. permutatella, C. pinella: Barrett. PYRALIDAE-CRAMBINAE. 1, Catoptria margaritella; 2, Catoptria pinella; 3, Catoptria permutatella; 5, Catoptria furcatellus. From Barrett, 1907. • Catoptria falsella and C. verellus: Barrett. PYRALIDAE-CRAMBINAE. 3, Catoptria verellus; 5, Catoptria falsella. From Barrett, 1907. • C. falsella and C. verellus: forewing patterns. Forewing patterns. 1, C. verellus; 2, C. falsella. • Hübner’s illustrations of 7 Catoptria species (1796–1813). Catoptria Hübner: current binomials for Hübner’s illustrations of the genus (1796–1813): 30, C. falsella; 36, C. pinella; 37, C. myella; 38, C. conchella; 39, C. margaritella; 47, C. petrificella; 227, C. lithargyrella; 265 and 266, C. fulgidella; 287, C. myrtilella; 325, C. radiella. See accompanying document for nomenclatural details.
We advise against extracting comparative information from the descriptions. This is much more easily achieved using the DELTA data files or the interactive key, which allows access to the character list, illustrations, full and partial descriptions, diagnostic descriptions, differences and similarities between taxa, lists of taxa exhibiting or lacking specified attributes, and distributions of character states within any set of taxa. See also Guidelines for using data taken from Web publications.
Cite this publication as: ‘Watson, L., and Dallwitz, M.J. 2003 onwards. Insects of Britain and Ireland: the genera of grass moths (Pyralidae-Crambinae and Schoenobiinae). Version: 14th April 2022. delta-intkey.com’.
