Hellinsia lienigianus

Hellinsia lienigianus is a moth of the family Pterophoridae that is found in the Palearctic ecozone (from Europe to Russia, Korea, China and Japan), India, south-east Asia, Africa and Queensland in Australia.

Hellinsia lienigianus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Pterophoridae
Genus:	Hellinsia
Species:	H. lienigianus
Binomial name
Hellinsia lienigianus (Zeller, 1852)
Synonyms
Pterophorus lienigianus Zeller, 1852 Ovendenia lienigianus (Zeller, 1852) Oidaematophorus lienigianus Pterophorus melinodactylus Herrich-Schäffer, 1855 Leioptilus serindibanus Moore, 1887 Leioptilus sericeodactylus Pagenstecher, 1900 Pterophorus victorianus Strand, 1913 Pterophorus hirosakianus Matsumura, 1931 Pterophorus lienigianus catharodactylus Caradja, 1920 Oidaematophorus mutuurai Yano, 1963 Pterophorus scarodactylus Becker, 1861

It inhabits coastal areas, dry pastures and waste ground.

The wingspan is 17–21 millimetres (0.67–0.83 in). Adults are on wing in July in Great Britain.

The larvae vary from green to brown, and have sparse tufts of white hair along each side. They feed on various Asteraceae species, including Artemisia vulgaris, Artemisia maritima, Artemisia princeps, Chrysanthemum morifolium, Tanacetum vulgare, Xanthium strumarium, Pluchea purpurascens, Leucanthemum vulgare and Aspilia latifolia. They form a silken tent-shaped shelter on a leaf, within which it feeds before moving onto another leaf.