Pammene aurita

Pammene aurita

Alternative names
Tawny Sycamore Piercer
Sycamore Piercer
Description

Wingspan 14 to 15 mm.

Identification difficulty
Habitat

Around Sycamore.

When to see it

The adult moths are on the wing in July and August, from late afternoon onwards, and are most often encountered at light.

Life History

The larvae feed inside the seeds of sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus), and their presence is sometimes betrayed by small exit holes in the seeds themselves.

UK Status

An adventive colonist, first discovered in Britain in 1943 in south-east Kent. Since then it has become widely but thinly established over much of England and Wales. In the Butterfly Conservation's Microlepidoptera Report 2011 this species was classified as local.

VC55 Status

Occasional in Leicestershire and Rutland. L&R Moth Group status = C (very scarce resident or rare migrant).

Reference
49.376 BF1233

Leicestershire & Rutland Map

MAP KEY:

Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2025+ | 2020-2024 | pre-2020

UK Map

Additional images

All NatureSpot records