Insect · GBIF taxon 4531506
Elbow-striped Grass-veneer
Agriphila geniculeaAlso known as Elbow-striped Grass Moth
When resting on vegetation, this moth folds its narrow forewings tightly into a cylinder, blending seamlessly into dried stems to evade sharp-eyed predators. Caterpillars construct protective silken galleries near the soil surface, feeding on the roots and bases of common fine-leaved grasses. Adults emerge in large numbers during late summer, readily fluttering up when flushed from dry lawns, pastures, and coastal dunes.
NocturnalCamouflagedGrassland
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Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Grass stems
- Grass roots
- Flower nectar
Predators
- Bats
- Spiders
- Insectivorous birds
ThreatsIntensive lawn mowing, overgrazing, and agricultural insecticide application.
HabitatsDry pastures, meadows, coastal dunes, heathlands, lawns, and grassy verges.
Life span1 year (larval overwintering; adult lifespan lasts several weeks).
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- OrderLepidoptera
- FamilyCrambidae
- GenusAgriphila
- SpeciesAgriphila geniculea
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Completely harmless to humans and pets; safe to observe closely.
Responsible observation
- Daytime Observation: Walk slowly through unmown dry grass in August to spot adults making brief, zig-zagging escape flights.
- Light Trapping: Attract adults after dark using a gentle porch light or moth trap on warm, humid evenings.
Competitor (c) David Short, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
Host Plant Kristian Peters -- Fabelfroh 12:31, 9 September 2006 (UTC) / CC BY-SA 3.0 · cc-by-sa
Predator "Common Pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus)" by Meneer Zjeroen is licensed under CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/. · cc-by
Close Relative (c) Donald Hobern, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
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Moonlight Marvels
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