Genus Pempelia Rank Species | ||
Similar Gymnancyla canella, Butterflies and moths, Pempelia palumbella, Merulempista cingillella, Phycitodes lacteella | ||
Pempelia genistella (gorse colonial hard shoot moth) is a moth of the family Pyralidae. It is native to south-western Europe and north-western Africa, but has been introduced as a biological control agent for gorse in New Zealand and Hawaii.
The wingspan is 26–29 mm. Adults are on wing in July in western Europe.
The larvae feed on the needles of Ulex europaeus in which they spin a dense, conspicuous silken communal web.
References
Pempelia genistella Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA