Insect
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
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Diet & preyGrass 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).
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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