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Nocturnal butterfly
Haplotinea ditella (Pierce & Metcalfe)
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Tineidae
Acronym: HDI
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Ecology
The nocturnal butterfly is found in Europe. It is recorded in Great Britain, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria and Lithuania. There are no records of this species in North America. It is found in mills, warehouses, granaries and in stored plant products, especially cereals. It infests flour, wheat, grain, rice and ground nuts.
Damage
The larva feeds on flour, wheat, grains, rice and ground nuts. Damage is indistinct and caused by larval feeding.
Life history
The adult nocturnal butterfly is small in size. The wing span is 11 – 18 mm long. The wings are narrow. The forewing is mottled grey with patches that range from dusty brown to dark brown. Both the forewings and hind wings are fringed with long hairs.
The nocturnal butterfly larva can grow to 12 – 14 mm long. The head is pale brown to dark brown in color. The thoracic plates are pale yellowish-brown. The larva has 2 ocelli (simple light sensing lenses) on each side of its head. This is a characteristic feature of nocturnal butterfly larvae.
