Mirificarma mulinella

Mirificarma mulinella
Mirificarma mulinella
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Gelechiidae
Genus: Mirificarma
Species: M. mulinella
Binomial name
Mirificarma mulinella
(Zeller, 1839)[1]
Synonyms
  • Gelechia mulinella Zeller, 1839
  • Gelechia caminariella Fuchs, 1902
  • Gelechia carminariella
  • Gelechia nigraesilvae Amsel, 1950

Mirificarma mulinella is a moth of the Gelechiidae family. It is found in most of Europe, except Finland, the Baltic region and part of the Balkan Peninsula. It has also been recorded from North Africa.

A sprig of broom with a flower attacked by larva
Larva

The wingspan is 6-7.5 mm for males and 5.5-7.5 mm for females. The head is cream to light brown. The forewings are mottled brown, mixed with cream or light brown in the apical third and occasionally also in the posterior third.[2] Adults are on wing from July to November in Europe, but have also been recorded in February in North Africa.

The larvae feed on Ulex europaeus, Cytisus scoparius, Cytisus nigricans, Genista germanica, Lupinus arboreus and Calicotome spinosa. On Ulex and Cytisus scoparius, they make a small hole in a bud that is not fully open and feeds on the interior of the flower, before repeating the process in another flower. On Lupinus arboreus, the larvae feed on the leaves instead of the flowers. Larvae can be found from April to early May. Pupation takes place on the ground in a slight cocoon amongst leaves.

References

  1. ^ Fauna Europaea
  2. ^ Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History)
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