website logo Lepidoptera Outer Hebrides

Family: Glyphipterigidae   Checklist Number: 19.001

Orthotelia sparganella  (Thunberg, 1788)

Reed Minor

A very scarce moth in Scotland with just three records on NBN Atlas. First recorded on South Uist in 2023, this micro-moth, at 14mm in length, is double the size of the rest of its current family to which it bears no resemblance in colour or pattern. It favours damp habitats where the larvae feed upon irises, reed sweet-grass (Glyceria maxima) and bur-reeds (Sparganium spp.). The flight period is late June to August.

References: 
Sterling, P. & Parsons, M. (2023 second edition). Field Guide to the Micro-moths of Great Britain and Ireland.

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