35.003 Aproaerema larseniella Gozmany, 1957

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Status and Distribution

Local, occasionally locally common, in southern and eastern England, the Midlands and south-east and eastern Wales. Very local in south-west England and the Channel Islands, rare in Yorkshire and Durham. Apparently absent from much of northern England, western and northern Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland.

Pierce and Metcalfe (1935) showed that Syncopacma ligulella (since 1957 named S. larseniella) and S. vorticella (renamed Syncopacma cinctella) were valid species. As a result, records of S. ligulella prior to 1935 cannot with any certainty be applied to Aproaerema larseniella or A. cinctella without a specimen being examined. The name changes and lack of external identification features to separate these two species has led to misidentification issues, a problem still present today to a certain extent.

It presently appears safe to exclude A. cinctella as a possibility when moths are bred from Lotus pedunculatus (greater bird's-foot-trefoil). However, it is still advisable to exclude A. taeniolella by checking the underside of the wings, as it has been found to utilise L. pedunculatus on one or two occasions.

 

National Status: Local
Bradley & Fletcher no: 844
Aproaerema larseniella
Photographer: © Oliver Wadsworth
Location: Worcestershire

Provisional map

NHMSYS0000504430

Imago

Aproaerema larseniella (Photo: © O Wadsworth)

Pupa

Set Specimens

Aproaerema larseniella (upperside), bred Lotus pedunculatus, Herefordshire (Photo: © R J Heckford) Aproaerema larseniella (underside), bred Lotus pedunculatus, Herefordshire (Photo: © R J Heckford)

It should be noted that the lack of forewing and hindwing underside white markings can occur in other Aproaerema species, including some forms of A. taeniolella.

Dissection Group

Female genitalia

Dissection Group

Male genitalia

Foodplant and Larval Feeding Signs

Aproaerema larseniella foodplant Hants 2015 (Photo: © S Palmer) Aproaerema larseniella spinning Hants 2015 (Photo: © S Palmer)  Aproaerema larseniella foodplant (Lotus uliginosellus) Cornwall 2026 (Photo © S Palmer)

Lotus pendunculatus (greater bird's-foot-trefoil), see plant distribution map, and rarely on Lotus corniculatus (common bird's-foot-trefoil).

Spins the leaves together.

Habitat

Aproaerema larseniella habitat Hants 2015 (Photo: © S Palmer)  Aproaerema larseniella habitat Worcestershire May 2026 (Photo © S Palmer)  Aproaerema larseniella habitat, Worcestershire May 2026 (Photo S Palmer)

Frequents rough ground and damp areas including meadows, ditches, margins of lakes, wet road verges and damp woodland clearings.

Finding the Moth

Larva: found between spun leaves and shoots from April to June. Aproaerema taeniolella will, on rare occasions, also use Lotus pedunculatus.

Adult: can be swept from the foodplant, disturbed during the afternoon and will come readily to light.

Similar Species

There are six Aproaerema species that have the dark forewing and, to some extent or other, a whitish fascia - many are scarce and have very restricted distributions. The size of the moth together with the habitat and available larval foodplants will help to narrow down the options to some extent. Breeding to establish the association with a particular foodplant is useful and could add additional information on the range of foodplants utilised by members of this genus. There is some overlap in foodplant usage and if in doubt, bred specimens should also be dissected.

It has been suggested that the presence or absence of a curve to the white crossband can assist in identification of these species. This is not the case, as although A. larseniella normally has a straight line, both A. taeniolella and A. cinctella can have a straight or slightly inwardly curved fascia. This feature is therefore unsuitable on its own as an identification feature.

A. taeniolella usually has a whitish fascia on the forewing underside, with a whitish spot or broken line on the underside of the hindwing, features not present in other members of this genus. See photographs of A. taeniolella and A. larseniella forewing and hindwing undersides in 'Images' of the respective species.

For the time being it appears safe to say that if the moth is bred from greater bird's-foot-trefoil (so that A. taeniolella can be excluded) then it will be A. larseniella.

For more detailed discussion covering the Aproaerema species and their separation see under A. cinctella (Finding the Moth / Similar Species).

April, May, June
June, July

Single brooded from June to early August.