Psyche casta

This is another common species that most people should be able to find. The larval cases are covered in sections of dead grass and are unmistakeable. I say that but it isn't strictly true! There is another species called Psyche crassiorella which makes an identical case (although it is supposed to be slightly larger). However, casta is very common and crassiorella hasn't been recorded in the UK for at least 30 years so you are pretty safe recording cases as casta. If you really want to be sure, you will need to breed the adult and count its antennal segments (although there is a lot of overlap in the number of segments) or dissect.

Psyche casta cases can be found in a wide variety of situations, from tree trunks to fence posts, road signs and wheelie bins!

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