Limnaecia phragmitella

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Limnaecia phragmitella
Limnaecia phragmitella Illustration from Stainton: Natural History of the Tineina

Limnaecia phragmitella
Illustration from Stainton: Natural History of the Tineina

Systematics
Class : Insects (Insecta)
Order : Butterflies (Lepidoptera)
Family : Magnificent butterfly (Cosmopterigidae)
Subfamily : Antequerinae
Limnaecia
Type : Limnaecia phragmitella
Scientific name
Limnaecia phragmitella
Stainton , 1851

Limnaecia phragmitella is a butterfly ( moth ) from the family of cosmopterigidae (Cosmopterigidae).

features

The moths reach a wingspan of 16 to 22 millimeters. The head is ocher-colored, the antennae are yellowish white, ringed brown and have an almost white apical area. The thorax and tegulae are ocher colored. The forewings are ocher and pale yellow on the Costa loader. An indistinct, gray-brown line follows the anal fold, in front of the distal end of which there is an elongated white spot. In the middle of the wing there are two gray-brown, white-rimmed spots. The inside is in front of half the forewing length, the outside at 3/4 of the forewing length. Both spots are connected by a gray-brown line that begins as a narrow line behind the base of the wing. In the apical area, the wing veins are indicated in gray-brown and occasionally outlined in white. A series of whitish dots run along the apex . The fringed scales are pale ocher and become yellower towards the inner edge of the wing. The hind wings are gray. The abdomen is brownish gray, the segments have yellowish white bands behind.

In the males, the brachia are extremely asymmetrical. The right brachium is long, pointed and heavily sclerotized . It's 2.5 times as long as the one on the left. The blades are concave and have a short and rounded cucullus. The right valve is wider at the base. The Valvellae are strongly asymmetrical. The left valvella is spatulate and longer than the valve. The tip has a patch of short needles. The right valvella is short and curved and severely sclerotized. It's merged with the right valve. The aedeagus is short and tapers towards the tip. The proximal part is bulbous.

In the females the anal papillae are fused and only slightly sclerotized. The apophyses are very long and strong and heavily sclerotized. The sterigma is tubular, slightly curved and sclerotized. The ductus bursae tapers slightly towards the corpus bursae , the distal half is sclerotized. The corpus bursae is egg-shaped and has two short needled signs.

distribution

The species is distributed worldwide and is found wherever the host plants grow.

biology

The caterpillars develop on narrow-leaved cattails ( Typha angustifolia ) and broad-leaved cattails ( Typha latifolia ). The young caterpillars live first in the marrow of the leaf sheath , later minieren in the Samenkolben or in thin stems. They do not eat the seeds of the cobs, but the pulp of the leaf sheaths. The caterpillars often hibernate gregariously in the seed cob or in the leaf sheaths and stems. In the spring you can recognize infected seed cobs by the fluff hanging out. However, the caterpillar web surrounding the cattail prevents the seeds from being blown away by the wind. The caterpillars pupate in June in an elongated, whitish cocoon in the seed bulb. The moths fly from late June to late August.

swell

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c J. C. Koster, S. Yu. Sinev: Momphidae, Batrachedridae, Stathmopodidae, Agonoxenidae, Cosmopterigidae, Chrysopeleiidae . In: P. Huemer, O. Karsholt, L. Lyneborg (eds.): Microlepidoptera of Europe . 1st edition. tape 5 . Apollo Books, Stenstrup 2003, ISBN 87-88757-66-8 , pp. 106 (English).
  2. ↑ Karl Traugott Schütze: The biology of the small butterflies with special consideration of their nutrient plants and times of appearance. Handbook of Microlepidoptera. Caterpillar calendar arranged according to the illustrated German Flora by H. Wagner. Frankfurt am Main, publishing house of the International Entomological Association e. V., 1931, p. 16

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