73.143 BF2378

Brighton Wainscot Oria musculosa

(Hübner, [1808])

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Wingspan 28-34 mm.

First discovered near Brighton in the late 19th century, this moth was subsequently found to be well established as a breeding species in the cornfields of Wiltshire and bordering counties. It is also believed to be an occasional immigrant.

The adults fly in late July and August and are sometimes disturbed in good numbers by harvesting machinery.

The larvae feed internally in the stems of cereal crops, eventually consuming the grains of corn as they ripen.