51.0001 BF384a

Palm Moth Paysandisia archon

(Burmeister, 1880)

Wingspan c.90-110mm.

This large and attractive day-flying moth is an adventitious species, accidentally introduced from its native haunt of South America with imported Palm Trees.

There have been a couple of British records, introduced in this way, and the species was similarly introduced into the South of France where it is now quite well established.

The larva bores into the trunks of various Palm trees and is proving to be a pest in southern Europe where it is now expanding its range into Spain and Italy.