- Micropterix aureatella
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Micropterix aureatella 
Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Lepidoptera Family: Micropterigidae Genus: Micropterix Species: M. aureatella Binomial name Micropterix aureatella
(Scopoli, 1763)Synonyms - Phalaena aureatella Scopoli, 1763
- Tinea paykullella Thunberg, 1794
- Tinea ammanella Hübner, 1813
- Tinea amanella
Micropterix aureatella is a moth of the family Micropterigidae. It is found in the Palearctic ecozone (from Europe to Japan) except North Africa.
The wingspan is 9-11 mm. The base colour of the forewings is purple or bronze with two golden bands and an oval spot towards the wingtip.
The adults have working mandibles and feed on the pollen of a variety of flowers, especially those of Carex. The larvae are believed to feed on Vaccinium.
Subspecies
- Micropterix aureatella aureatella
- Micropterix aureatella junctella Weber, 1945
- Micropterix aureatella shikotanica Kozlov, 1988
Taxonomy
Tinea merianella [Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775 is most probably a synonym of Micropterix aureatella, which is the only purple moth with three golden transverse fasciae within the federal territory of Vienna. The type of T. merianella was destroyed in the Hofburg fire in 1848 and it is thus hard to determine if the species is indeed a synonym.
References
- Zeller-Lukashort, H. Christof; et al (2007). "A review of Micropterix Hübner, 1825 from northern and central Europe (Micropterigidae)" (PDF). Nota Lepidopterologica 30 (2): 235–298. http://www.nkis.info/nkis/vortrag/03_Zeller.pdf.
- www.lepiforum.de: Taxonomie and Photos
- Fauna Europaea
- Micropterix aureatella at UKmoths
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