David Element
Wildlife Photography and Digital Video Images
_____________________________________________________________Moths
73 – Yellow-barred Longhorn Moths
YELLOW-BARRED LONGHORN MOTH Nemophora degeerella (m)
·
The Yellow-barred
Longhorn Moth Nemophora degeerella
is one of the
more readily recognisable Longhorn or Long-horned
Moths (a generic
description for 15 British species belonging to the family Adelidae). The extremely long antennae are an obvious field
characteristic of the members of this family, but the partial thickening for
half of their length, consequentially increasing their surface area as
pheromone-receptors, is unique to the male of this species. The wing-pattern, incorporating
some rather reflective metallic scales and the eponymous yellow bar, is
sufficiently distinctive to enable unequivocal identification of this species,
but note that the smaller Adela croesella also
possesses yellow wing-bars, albeit of a slightly different shape, and an orange
head. Other, less strikingly marked members of the family may prove to be
trickier to separate. Females possess shorter antennae than their male
counterparts. A tendency to congregate on sunlit vegetation in woodland glades
or margins and a ‘dancing’ flight-pattern makes these moths rather conspicuous.
The larvae are reported to complete their development in leaf-litter.
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