Cornish Biodiversity Network - Supporting Wildlife Recording
The descriptive text, below the map, is from the Cornish Red Data Book (2009). The map on this web page depicts the organisms distribution and shows the records made pre-2000 and those made since.
Range & Status
Formerly Lita solutella , this species is known from south and central Europe and into
Asia (Meyrick, 1968). In Britain, this species has a disjunct distribution in the south-west and north England and in northern Scotland (Emmet, 1991), feeding on various Genista species.
Regional Distribution
First recorded in Cornwall in 1858 on The Lizard (Boyd, 1858); more recently recorded in 1986 at Kynance Cove (Langmaid, 1987), where it has been recorded subsequently.
Habitat & Ecology
The larvae spin silken tubes in the foodplant Hairy Greenweed Genista pilosa and Petty Whin Genista anglica , occurring on plants which are flat on the ground (Heckford, 1999).
Threats
None known. The foodplant is occasionally damaged by heath fires.
Conservation
None.
I.J. Bennallick, S. Board, C.N. French, P.A. Gainey, C. Neil, R. Parslow, A. Spalding and P.E. Tompsett. eds. 2009. Red Data Book for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. 2nd Edition.Croceago Press.
The Cornish Red Data Book Project was led by the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Federation for Biological Recorders (CISFBR). The full text and species accounts (minus the maps) are available on the CISFBR website.