Ochsenheimeria taurella

Ochsenheimeria taurella, the Liverpool feather-horn or the rye stem borer, is a moth of the family Ypsolophidae.

Distribution
This species can be found in most of Europe, as well as North Africa and the Middle East.

Description
Ochsenheimeria taurella has a wingspan of 11–12 mm. These rather distinctive microlepidoptera have brownish or ochreous forewings, with erect scales. These scales sometimes tend to form ill-defined fasciae of different colour. A tuft of erect scales in present on the head. The abdomen is dark brown. The females have the antennae with long black erected scales for over half of their length. This species is rather similar to Ochsenheimeria vacculella, but the latter lacks the erect antennal scales.

Biology
Adults are on wing from July to September. They fly in the early afternoon sunshine. From September to May, the caterpillars overwinter. They feed on various coarse grasses (Poaceae), including cock's-foot (Dactylis glomerata), rough bluegrass (Poa trivialis), rye (Secale cereale) (hence the common name), meadow foxtail (Alopecurus pratensis), barley (Hordeum vulgare), oat (Avena sativa) and  wheat (Triticum aestivum). They mine the stems of their host plant.