Pempelia genistella, the 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.

Pempelia genistella
Male
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Pyralidae
Genus:	Pempelia
Species:	P. genistella
Binomial name
Pempelia genistella (Duponchel, 1836)[1]
Synonyms
Phycis genistella Duponchel, 1836 Nephopterix genistella

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

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pempelia genistella.

External links

• UKmoths
• Status as Biological Control Agent in New Zealand
• Fauna Europaea

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