63.061 BF1360

Old World Webworm Hellula undalis

(Fabricius, 1781)

---

Wingspan c. 18mm.

This species is normally found in the Old World tropics but has become a fairly regular migrant in September and October to England's south coast since it was first noted in 1967 in south Devon.

With the advent of regular light trapping at known migration hotspots, this species and other scarce migrants are being found with increasing regularity.

Typically the moth is a rather mottled mixture of buff, brown and white, but some individuals like the one depicted, are rather more greyish in appearance.

In its native habitats, the larva feeds on cruciferous plants.