Photo © Mike Wall
Grass Webworm
Herpetogramma licarsisalis
Checklist Number63.055 [B&F: 1406a]
Verification
Record will require further evidence, at least a good photograph, unless CMR is aware recorder has confidence in identification
Classification
| Family: | Crambidae |
| Subfamily: | Spilomelinae |
| Genus: | Herpetogramma |
| Species: | licarsisalis |
| Authority: | (Walker, 1859) |
Very rare immigrant (less than 10 previous UK records) from the tropics of Africa. First recorded in Europe on the Algarve and on Fuerteventura in 1997, subsequently becoming established in Spain and Portugal before being recorded for the first time in Britain at Freshwater, Isle of Wight on 9 November 1998, and then a handful of times on the south coast of England from Kent to the Isles of Scilly, including a second record on the Isle of Wight in 2009. Not recorded from Hampshire to date. Wingspan 18-22 mm. Resembles a small, plain, dark Mother of Pearl Pleuroptya ruralis lacking the prominent inwardly pointing dark projections and glossy sheen. Larva feeds on various grasses, causing sufficient damage to be a serious pest in some areas, living within a silken tube or tent; no evidence of breeding in the UK.
The abundance in each month is indicated as follows:
No records
Very occasional
Irregular
Uncommon
Off-peak, but not unusual
Off-peak, but not unusual
Main flight time| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Larval | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Records by week (adult)
Records by week (larval)
VC10 Isle of Wight
| Site | Date | Quantity | Recorder | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freshwater (SZ38) | 09/11/1998 | one | Sam Knill-Jones | Adult |
| Totland (SZ38) | 28/10/2009 | one | Sam Knill-Jones | Adult |
| Brook (SZ38) | 05/10/2019 | one | Diana Westerhoff, Richard E Jones | Adult |