73.355 BF2132

Neglected Rustic Xestia castanea

(Esper, 1798)

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Wingspan 36-42 mm.

Chiefly a species of heaths and moors, there are two colour forms. The typical form is reddish-brown and is commoner in the north. The paler form f. neglecta is more usual in the south. There is a more uniformly patterned form (illustrated) that has been noticed in parts of Scotland.

It is locally distributed throughout much of Britain, and flies in August and September.

The larval foodplants are mainly heather (Calluna) and heath (Erica).