''Cochylis molliculana'' is a

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...

of the family Tortricidae.

Description

This species can be found in

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

and

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...

Habitat

These moths mainly inhabit coastal environments, wasteground, chalky meadows and scrubs. Cochylis molliculana (2) (15097852836)

Description

''Cochylis molliculana'' has a

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan of ...

of 11–15 mm. Labial palps, head, chest and tegulae of these moths are golden-brown. Forewings show a cream white background color, with some patches of different color, ranging from reddish brown to gray and ocher. In the middle of the forewings there is a blackish transversal band. The edges are fringed and bordered by a thin dark line. Underside of the forewings is pale brown. Also the hind wings are pale brown.G. Dorem
Altervista
/ref>Keith P. Bland, E.F. Hancock, J. Razowsk
Tortricidae, part 1: Tortricinae & Chlidanotinae
/ref>

Biology

''Cochylis molliculana'' is a bivoltine species, having two generations per year. Adults fly in May – June and in August - September. Females lay eggs on the flowerhead of the bristly oxtongue (''

Picris echioides ''Helminthotheca echioides'', known as bristly (or prickly) oxtongue, is a sprawling annual or biennial herb native to Europe and North Africa. It was originally placed within the genus ''Picris'' but is often separated within the small genus '' ...

'') in May–June and in July–September. The larvae feed on the seedheads of ''

''. The first generation pupates in a silken cocoon within the seedheads, while the second generation leaves the seedheads and the larvae spin a cocoon amongst debris in which they overwinter.Hants Moths
/ref>

References

* * Moths described in 1847 Cochylis Moths of Europe {{Cochylis-stub