Cosmopterix orichalcea

Cosmopterix orichalcea
Cosmopterix orichalcea
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Cosmopterigidae
Genus: Cosmopterix
Species: C. orichalcea
Binomial name
Cosmopterix orichalcea
(Stainton, 1861)[1]
Synonyms
  • Cosmopteryx orichalcea Stainton, 1861
  • Cosmopteryx druryella Zeller, 1850

Cosmopterix orichalcea is a moth of the Cosmopterigidae family. It is known from most of Europe (except the Balkan Peninsula) east to Japan.

A mined leaf blade of Festuca arundinacea
Larva

The wingspan is about 9 mm.[2] Adults are on wing from August to May. Then the larva hibernates outside of the mine in a hibernaculum.

The larvae feed on Anthoxanthum odoratum, Festuca arundinacea, Hierochloe odorata, Milium species, Phalaris arundinacea and Phragmites australis. They mine te leaves of their host plant. They prefer the lower leaves. The mine has the form of an elongate, rather irregular blotch. Most frass is ejected, but the remaining frass is concentrated in a few heaps. A single larva makes several mines. Pupation takes place outside of the mine.[3]

References

  1. ^ Fauna Europaea
  2. ^ UKmoths
  3. ^ bladmineerders.nl
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