49.1231

Aethes deaurana
Alexanders Straw

(Peyerimhoff, 1877)

Wingspan c. 17mm.

A rare immigrant to the south coast, with small numbers turning up in Dorset and South Devon, this is typically a southern European species, occurring from the South of France to North Africa and the Middle East.

The larvae feed inside the stems of a range of umbelliferous and other plants, including the Parsley or carrot family (Apiaciae).

The adult illustrated was beaten from scrub at Dawlish Warren above a dense stand of Alexanders or Horse Parsley (Smyrnium). It is thought that the species may be becoming established in these localised areas of Devon and Dorset.