Homoeosoma nebulella, the Eurasian sunflower moth, is a moth of the family Pyralidae.
Eurasian sunflower moth | |
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Homoeosoma nebulella Moscow oblast | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Lepidoptera |
Family: | Pyralidae |
Genus: | Homoeosoma |
Species: | H. nebulella |
Binomial name | |
Homoeosoma nebulella | |
Distribution
It is found in Europe, Russia, Anatolia, the Middle East and West Africa.
Description
The wingspan is 20–27 mm.
![Thumb](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3d/Buckler_W_The_larv%C3%A6_of_the_British_butterflies_and_moths_Plate_CLVII.jpg/640px-Buckler_W_The_larv%C3%A6_of_the_British_butterflies_and_moths_Plate_CLVII.jpg)
The larvae feed on Asteraceae such as Cirsium vulgare, Senecio jacobaea, Tanacetum vulgare and Leucanthemum vulgare. They are a serious pest of the sunflower, Helianthus annuus, in eastern Europe and Ukraine and a potential sunflower pest in France. The caterpillar is grey with a yellow-brown head and three longitudinal stripes on the dorsal side.