Oxyptilus pilosellae

Oxyptilus pilosellae is a moth of the family Pterophoridae first described by Philipp Christoph Zeller in 1841. It is found in most of Europe, east to Russia and Asia Minor. It was released as a biological control agent for Hieracium in New Zealand in 1998.

Description

The wingspan is 15–24 mm. Adults are on wing from May to August in western Europe.
Young larvae feed within the roots of hawkweeds, including mouse-ear hawkweed. Later instars feed on the flowerheads, beneath a silken web.