Morley’s Final Catalogue: A male beaten from buckthorn in Shipmeadow marshes on 19 August 1935 (Proc. SNS. iii, p. lviii).

Recent Status: An uncommon species in Suffolk that can arrive as an immigrant.

Life Style: The moth can be found from May through to September. They may be double brooded. They fly at night and come to light. The larvae feed on species of the fungus Daldinia that grow on dead or dying Ulex and Betula. The vernacular name of the Phoenix Knot-horn is derived from the species emerging from burnt gorse stems where the black fungus is growing. The larvae feed in silken tubes within the fungus and dead wood infected with it where they will pass the winter and pupate.

Identification: The moth his a dark grey forewing with a peppering of white scales. There is a darker double discal spot and a white post and pre median line. The pre median line is strong at the dorsum. There is a brownish shade along the forewing just below the costa. Apomyelois bistriatella lacks the sub-basal raised black scales of Ortholepis betulae. The pre median line is not as strong as that of Elegia similella in which species it does not reach the costa. The pre median line of Pyla fusca is not strong on the dorsum.

	Retained Specimen / Photograph will be Required.

Recorded in 11 (19%) of 58 10k Squares. First Recorded in 1935. Last Recorded in 2023. Additional Stats

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