Phycita diaphana is a species of snout moth. It is found in Portugal, Spain, Greece,Fauna Europaea Iraq, Egypt, Syria, Madagascar, Mauritius, Réunion,www.afromoths.net Yemen, Western Sahara and Israel.Quicke, D.L.J., Kuslitzky, W.S. & Butcher, B.A. 2018. First host record for Old World Yelicones (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Rogadinae) adds to evidence that they are strictly parasitoids of Pyralidae (Lepidoptera). Israel Journal of Entomology 48 (1): 33–40. Article
Description The wingspan is 23–26 mm.lepiforum.de
Biology Phycita diaphana is a common, invasive pest of Ricinus communis (Euphorbiaceae) throughout the Mediterranean region. In addition to R. communis, Ph. diaphana larvae are also found feeding on Populus euphranica Oliv. (Salicaceae) and Chrozophora tintoria (L.) (= verbascifolia (Willd.)) (Euphorbiaceae). Yelicones iranus (Fischer, 1963) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Rogadinae) has been reported as a parasitoid of caterpillars of Phycita diaphana in Israel.
References