Swammerdamia pyrella

Wingspan 10-13 mm. One of several related and rather similar species which can be difficult to separate as adults without reference to the structure of the genitalia.  S. pyrella is distinguished from all other Swammerdamia and Pseudoswammerdamia species by the coppery terminal cilia, small size and dark appearance.

Well wooded areas containing the larval food plants.

Flies in two generations during May and August

The larvae feed on Hawthorn, Apple and Pear and like several related species live under a slight web on the upper surface of a leaf. They are quite distinctively marked in yellow and brown.

It is a common species throughout most of Britain and Ireland except in the far north. In the Butterfly Conservation’s Microlepidoptera Report 2011 this species was classified as common.

Occasional in Leicestershire and Rutland but possibly under recorded due to the difficulty of identification. L&R Moth Group status = C (very scarce resident or rare migrant)