Blastobasis adustella

Blastobasis adustella is a species of moth of the family Blastobasidae. It is endemic to Australian region, but was introduced in western Europe and is now reported from The Netherlands, Great Britain, Ireland, Madeira and the Azores

Blastobasis adustella
Adult from Lincolnshire (UK)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Blastobasidae
Genus:	Blastobasis
Species:	B. adustella
Binomial name
Blastobasis adustella Walsingham, 1894
Synonyms
List Blastobasis lignea auct. non Walsingham, 1894: misidentification Blastobasis sarcophaga Meyrick 1902 Blastobasis xanthographella Rebel 1940

Description

The wingspan is 15–20 mm. Adults are on wing from August to September.

The larvae feed on a variety of foodstuffs, including decaying vegetable matter as well as the seedheads of wild teasel (Dipsacus fullonum) in Europe.^[1]

Taxonomy

The name Blastobasis lignea has often been used for records now considered as Blastobasis adustella.^[2] A taxonomic revision by Karsholt & Sinev reclassifies Walsingham's original B. lignea specimen as Blastobasis vittata, making lignea properly the junior synonym of vittata. B. adustella was originally described by Walshingham as a variety of B. lignea.^[2]