Cosmopterigidae

34.0115 Coccidiphila gerasimovi Danilevsky, 1950

Colonised / Adventive

Similar species: Other European Coccidiphila spp. It is necessary to check the genitalia for an accurate identification.

Forewing: 3 to 5mm

Habitats: The habitat is woodland edge, areas of shrub, and gardens, where it is found on trees and shrubs supporting scale insects and mealy bugs. It is distributed from North Africa, east to Saudi Arabia, Iran and the near east, and west to Portugal and the Canary Islands. It is known to be moving north, but it is unclear to what extent due to confusion with other Coccidiphila spp.

Habits: It was first recorded in Great Britain at light in Buckingham Palace Gardens on 23rd July 2021. It was subsequently recorded at the same site in all the years since to 2025. The only other site where it has been found was a recent record at South Kensington Discovery Garden, which is 2km to the west of the original site.

Food: The early stages have not been recorded in Britain. On the European mainland the larva feeds on the eggs of scale insects and mealy bugs. Its known natural food species are not present in Great Britain.