Scoparia pyralella

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

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]

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.

• 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.

• Lepidoptera of Belgium
• Lepiforum.de