Brutkey

hastingsmothman
@hastingsmothman@mastodon.green

#MothOfTheDay is a tiny but pretty micromoth.

Carcina quercana
(Long-horned, flat body)

As the 'quercana' name obviously suggests, its larvae feed on oak. It is common and widespread in the UK.

#moths #moth #mothsandbutterflies #butterflies #MothsMatter #nature #wildlife #britishwildlife #lepidoptera #entomology #insect #garden #summer #conservation #biodiversity #alttext

A small 0.5cm moth on a wooden table. It is a rounded arrowhead / triangular shape with soft corners. It is brown suffused with purple, with a pale and indistinct splodge on the back which resembles a paw print. The wing edge has two distinct yellow sections. Two thin opposing shoulder stripes near the top, and then two opposing rectangular notches about two-thirds down joined by a yellow edge that runs down the rest of the wing, across the bottom and up the other side to the opposing notch. It's like a yellow U shape with two square notches facing inwards at either end. The bottom wing edge (termen) is very fringed. It has two extremely long thing antennae which stretch back and are as long as its body, if not a little more.