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Scythris cicadella, the sand owlet, is a moth of the family Scythrididae found in Europe. It was first described by Philipp Christoph Zeller in 1839.

Scythris cicadella
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Scythrididae
Genus:	Scythris
Species:	S. cicadella
Binomial name
Scythris cicadella (Zeller, 1839)[1]
Synonyms
Butalis cicadella Zeller, 1839 Oecophora cicadella

Description

The wingspan is 9–11 mm. The forewings are deep brown. Females have numerous bluish-white scales while males are heavily dusted, giving the forewings an almost white appearance. Adults are on wing from mid-May to the end of June flying during the day visiting flowers.[2]

The larvae feed on annual knawel (Scleranthus annuus) and perennial knawel (Scleranthus perennis). Other foodplants are likely as knawel is not found in Sweden; the likely foodplant is Scleranthus cicadella. Larvae can be found in May and June attached to the foodplant, living in a long silken gallery made of sand and debris.[3]

Distribution

S. cicadella is found in central and south-western Europe in areas of dry or sandy soil.[4] Has been found in small numbers in parts of south-eastern England in the past.[5]

References

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