Fenn's Wainscot Protarchanara brevilinea
Fenns
Adult • Dunwich, Suffolk • © Paul Kitchener

73.15 BF2351

Fenn's Wainscot Protarchanara brevilinea

(Fenn, 1864)

[Synonyms: Photedes brevilinea]

Wingspan 30-38 mm.

Restricted to a small number of fenland localities in East Anglia, this is a very local species, though it can be common where it occurs.

The adults fly at night in late July and early August, and will visit sugar as well as light.

The caterpillar is grey with brownish-yellow stripes, and is quite different from other Photedes larvae. It feeds on common reed (Phragmites australis), initially in the stems and later on the leaves.

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