Scoparia pyralella

Scoparia pyralella, the meadow grey, is a species of moth of the family Crambidae. It was first described by Michael Denis and Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775.[1]

Scoparia pyralella
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Crambidae
Genus:
Scoparia
Species:
S. pyralella
Binomial name
Scoparia pyralella
Synonyms
  • Tinea pyralella Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775
  • Eudorea tristrigella Stephens, 1834
  • Scoparia pyralella klimeschi Leraut, 1981
  • Phalaena arundinata Thunberg, 1792
  • Pyralis dubitalis Hübner, 1796
  • Scoparia dubitalis ab. alba Tutt, 1899
  • Scoparia dubitalis ab. inspersella Galvagni, 1920
  • Scoparia dubitalis f. australis Müller-Rutz, 1920
  • Scoparia dubitalis var. ivanalis Krulikovsky, 1909
  • Scoparia dubitalis var. purbeckensis E. R. Bankes, 1889
  • Scoparia ingratella vesubiella Marion, 1976

Distribution

This species can be found in most of Europe.[2][3] It is quite common over most of Britain. It inhabits fields and forests.

Description

Scoparia pyralella has a wingspan of 17–20 mm. These small moths have pale brown or whitish forewings with darker brown markings and transversal white lines. Hindwings are whitish Meyrick describes it -The forewings are white, more or less sprinkled with dark fuscous; a black ochreous- mixed mark from base of costa ; lines white, dark-edged, first rather irregular, second slightly angulate-sinuate above middle ; round orbicular, and narrow oval claviform yellow - ochreous, edged with dark fnscous, resting on first line; discal spot large, 8 -shaped, yellow -ochreous, dark -margined, touching costa above, and second line beneath ; terminal area dark fuscous, subterminal line white, irregular. Hindwings are ochreous-whitish, terminally suffused with grey.[4]


This species is rather similar to Scoparia ambigualis, Scoparia ancipitella, Scoparia basistrigalis, Scoparia subfusca, Eudonia lineola and Eudonia murana.[5]

Biology

The moths fly from June to July depending on the location. They are active mainly at dusk and night. The larvae feed on decaying leaves of various low-growing plants and perhaps on the roots of Senecio jacobaea.

Bibliography
  • Corley, M. F. V., Marabuto, E., & Pires, P. – 2007 - New Lepidoptera for the fauna of Portugal (Insecta: Lepidoptera). - SHILAP Revista de Lepidopterologia 35(139), 321-334.
  • Heckford, R. J. (2011): A note on the larva of Scoparia pyralella ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). Entomologist's Gazette 62: 1-6
  • Ivinskis, P. – 1993 - Check-list of Lithuanian Lepidoptera - Vilnius, 210 pp.
  • Martin, M.O. 1986 - Family Pyralidae - Pyralid moths -in: G. S. Medvedev (ed.), Keys to the Insects of the European Part of the USSR 4 (3): 232-244.

References
  1. BioLib
  2. "Scoparia pyralella (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775)". Fauna Europaea. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
  3. Savela, Markku. "Scoparia pyralella (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775)". Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
  4. Meyrick, E., 1895 A Handbook of British Lepidoptera MacMillan, London pdf This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. Keys and description
  5. Suffolk Moths


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