Appearance
The wingspan of adults is 12–16 mm. In the seasonal parts of its range, this moth flies from midsummer to early autumn, e.g. from July to October in southern England. It is not quite clear whether there are several broods per year in the tropics, as it has been recorded on the Marquesas Islands only between January and April for example. The adults are active in the evening and are attracted to lights.The larvae mainly feed inside the seed capsules and shoots of Malvaceae such as China jute, marsh mallow, the tree mallow, arrowleaf sida, and various "Gossypium" and "Malva" species. The caterpillars have been found on other eurosids, including "Crataegus" hawthorns, "Cucurbita pepo" pumpkins, and "Eucalyptus". They may occasionally become pests of cotton.
Naming
It is the type species of its genus "Crocidosema", established by Philipp Christoph Zeller when he described the present species in 1847, as he found it unlike any moth then known to science.
Habitat
The wingspan of adults is 12–16 mm. In the seasonal parts of its range, this moth flies from midsummer to early autumn, e.g. from July to October in southern England. It is not quite clear whether there are several broods per year in the tropics, as it has been recorded on the Marquesas Islands only between January and April for example. The adults are active in the evening and are attracted to lights.The larvae mainly feed inside the seed capsules and shoots of Malvaceae such as China jute, marsh mallow, the tree mallow, arrowleaf sida, and various "Gossypium" and "Malva" species. The caterpillars have been found on other eurosids, including "Crataegus" hawthorns, "Cucurbita pepo" pumpkins, and "Eucalyptus". They may occasionally become pests of cotton.
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