Species Details

ABH: 19.007

BF: 391

Family: Glyphipterigidae

Subfamily: Glyphipteriginae

Taxon: Glyphipterix simpliciella

=Glyphipterix fischeriella

Authority: (Stephens, 1834)

Vernacular: Cocksfoot Moth

Account: Common on grassland throughout the British Isles. Day-flying, and often easily found by searching buttercup flowers on warm, sunny days, when the moths may congregate in large numbers to feed, or by netting over the foodplant. Three other similar species may also be encountered, but they are all scarce: G. schoenicolella, with hindwing dorsal cilia white in basal half; G. equitella, with additional silver dot in disc before apex; and G. forsterella, with silver dot in blackish apical spot (MBGBI Vol 2). Larva feeds within ears of Cock's-foot and Tall Fescue, over-wintering in a cocoon.

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: 6 — 9 mm

Surrey Flight Period: 4 May (2003) — 14 Jul (2016)

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

Foodplant: Dactylis sp., Festuca sp. (a fescue).

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: 2 — Care needed to identify, an image may be required 🤔
Further Information: https://www.ukmoths.org.uk/species/glyphipterix-simpliciella/
Statistics

* Based on adult records only.

Records: 124

Individuals: 3

Earliest Year: 1999

Latest Year: 2025

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