About Bryotropha domestica (Haworth, 1828)
Bryotropha domestica is a moth species belonging to the family Gelechiidae. Its distribution ranges from Ireland eastward to Germany, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria, and from the Benelux countries southward to the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily, Crete and Cyprus. It is also found in North Africa (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya), the Middle East, Turkmenistan, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. The wingspan of adult Bryotropha domestica measures 12–13 mm. The head is pale whitish-ochreous, marked with scattered fuscous speckling. The terminal segment of the labial palps is longer than the second segment. The forewings are whitish-ochreous, densely sprinkled with fuscous; small black spots are present on the base of the costa, the base of the dorsum, and one in the disc close to the base. The stigmata are black, with the first discal stigma positioned above the plical stigma. A somewhat angulated pale fascia is located three-quarters of the way along the forewing, preceded by a blackish spot on the costa. The hindwings are pale grey. The larva is reddish-brown, with paler coloration along each side of the dorsal line, and the sides are marbled with paler markings. Its spots are black and conspicuous, while the head and the second thoracic plate are blackish. Adults emerge and are on wing from mid-May to early August, producing one generation per year. The larvae feed on mosses that grow on walls.
