# Common Nettle-tap

*Anthophila fabriciana*

Unlike most moths, they fly during the day and walk with a distinctive jerky, pivoting motion that often causes them to be mistaken for small flies.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Lepidoptera › Choreutidae › Anthophila
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** grassland
- **Habitat:** Hedgerows, gardens, woodland edges, and waste ground where stinging nettles are abundant.
- **Diet:** Larvae feed on stinging nettle leaves within a silken web; adults consume nectar from various wildflowers like hogweed and dandelion.
- **Range:** Europe, North Africa, Central Asia, North America
- **Size:** Wingspan of 10 to 15 mm; body length approximately 5-7 mm.
- **Lifespan:** Roughly 1-2 months including larval stages; adults live for 2-3 weeks.
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Widespread removal of 'weeds' like nettles in urban gardening and the use of broad-spectrum herbicides.
- **Safe to approach?:** This species is completely harmless to humans. They are safe to observe closely as they rest on nettle leaves. Avoid touching the moth to prevent damaging its fragile wings. Be cautious of the stinging nettles they inhabit, which can cause skin irritation.

## About

Anthophila fabriciana , also known as the common nettle-tap , is a moth of the family Choreutidae.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/0b16e2aa-bbda-4c22-b845-c252215ee51d
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/321979
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthophila fabriciana
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/104247440/medium.jpg (Emanuele Santarelli, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.