72.014 BF2024

Reed Tussock Laelia coenosa

(Hübner, [1808])

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Wingspan c. 46-50mm.

This rather attractive species is now unfortunately extinct in the British Isles. It was formerly resident in a number of Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire Fens in the 19th century, but suffered as a result of a combination of drainage of the fens and collectors, and was last noted in 1879.

It occurs abroad in Europe, North Africa and eastward to Asia, where the larvae feed on reed (Phragmites), sedge (Cladium) and similar foodplants.

The male moths have distinctive feathered antennae and a slight buffish suffusion to the forewing, sometimes with a few faint darker dots. Females are whitish. The normal flight period is July and August.