Caloptilia elongella

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Caloptilia elongella
Caloptilia elongella, female

Caloptilia elongella , female

Systematics
Class : Insects (Insecta)
Order : Butterflies (Lepidoptera)
Family : Leaf miners (Gracillariidae)
Subfamily : Gracillariinae
Genre : Caloptilia
Type : Caloptilia elongella
Scientific name
Caloptilia elongella
( Linnaeus , 1761)
Caloptilia elongella , male

Caloptilia elongella is a small butterfly of the family of moths (Gracillariidae).

features

The butterflies have a wingspan of 14-16 millimeters. The slender front wings are colored reddish brown. The hind wings are gray-brown. The forewings have hairs along the rear edge, the hind wings along the front and rear edge. Femora and tibia are reddish brown while the tarsi are white. There are several similar species in the genus Caloptilia .

The caterpillars reach a length of about 10 millimeters. They are sand-colored to light green in color and have individual protruding hairs. The mouthparts are reddish brown.

distribution

Caloptilia elongella is native to the Palearctic . Their distribution area extends over large parts of Europe. The species apparently also occurs in the Nearctic .

Way of life

The species is bivoltine , which means that it usually forms two generations per year. The overwintering butterflies fly in spring until June, those of the second generation from September. The second generation overwinters as an imago on evergreen trees such as yew trees ( Taxus ). The species specializes in various alders , especially the black alder ( Alnus glutinosa ), as a host plant. The young caterpillars develop in mines on the upper side of the leaves of the host plant. The older caterpillars wrap a leaf lengthways where they stay and feed on it. Finally the caterpillar pupates on the underside of the leaf in a silk-colored cocoon. In the rest position, the front body of the butterflies is above the front legs.

photos

  • Specimen with spread wings

  • rolled up leaf of a black alder

  • Caterpillar, originally in the rolled up leaf

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Caloptilia elongella . www.ukmoths.org.uk. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
  2. ↑ a b Caloptilia elongella in Fauna Europaea. Retrieved August 7, 2018
  3. ↑ Caloptilia elongella . www.hantsmoths.org.uk. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
  4. ↑ a b Caloptilia elongella . Flemish Entomological Society. Retrieved August 7, 2018.

Web links

Commons : Caloptilia elongella  - collection of images, videos and audio files