Species Details

ABH: 11.009

BF: 184

Family: Psychidae

Subfamily: Psychinae

Taxon: Luffia lapidella

=Luffia ferchaultella

Authority: (Goeze, 1783)

Vernacular: Ramshorn Bagworm

Account: Common in damp shady places throughout England and Wales, more numerous in the south. Fairly widely distributed across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. The species previously considered to be common in Britain Luffia ferchaultella has recently been synonymised with L. lapidella (a species previously thought to be confined to Cornwall), and is considered a parthenogenetic form of the present taxon, L. lapidella f. ferchaultella, and while the winged males do occur in Britain, they are very rare (females are wingless); reproduction therefore is generally through parthenogenesis. Larva feeds on lichens growing on tree trunks and fence posts, living within a movable case; larval cases can be found commonly, even abundantly, on tree-trunks, fences and old walls throughout; case length 5-7 mm.

Accounts provided by and used with the kind permission of Mike Wall, Hampshire County Moth Recorder. These will in due course be gradually replaced with species accounts with a Surrey context.

Wingspan:

Surrey Flight Period: —

The flight period of overwintering adults are not given. See the flight chart below the distribution map.

Foodplant: Diploica canescens, Lecidea canescens., Pleurococcus vulgaris.

Foodplant accounts are from the HOSTS database — Natural History Museum, London, UK. (CC0).

Status: Common

UK BAP:

WCA:

Click here to view the full geology map of Surrey.

Verification Grade: 3m

Further Information: https://www.ukmoths.org.uk/species/luffia-lapidella/

Statistics

* Based on adult records only.

Records: 63

Individuals: 0

Earliest Year: 2002

Latest Year: 2022

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