| Gorse soft shoot moth | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Depressariidae |
| Genus: | Agonopterix |
| Species: | A. umbellana |
| Binomial name | |
| Agonopterix umbellana (Fabricius, 1794) | |
| Synonyms | |
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Agonopterix umbellana (gorse soft shoot moth) is a moth of the family Depressariidae. It is native to western Europe, but was introduced to Hawaii in 1988 and New Zealand in 1990 to control Ulex europaeus . [1]
The wingspan is about 21 mm. The forewings are whitish ochreous; veins and dorsum marked with dark fuscous lines; first and sometimes second discal stigmata black; terminal black dots. Hindwings pale whitish-grey, round apex sometimes interruptedly dark-edged. The larva is dull green; dots black; head and plate of 2 black [2]
Adults are on wing from August to April. It hibernates during winter and can reappear in the early spring.
The larvae feed on Ulex and Genista species within silken tubes.
