Micropterix aruncella
| Micropterix aruncella | ||||||||||
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Micropterix aruncella |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Micropterix aruncella | ||||||||||
| ( Scopoli , 1763) |
Micropterix aruncella is a butterfly fromthe ancient moth family (Micropterigidae).
features
The male moths have a forewing length of 2.6 to 3.6 millimeters, the females one of 2.6 to 4.0 millimeters. The wingspan is given as 6 to 8 millimeters. The head is black-brown. The hair-like scales of the head are dirty white to rusty yellow in color. In the form of atricapilla Wocke they are golden brown to black. The antennae are dark brown and shine reddish gold. This coloring extends to 4/5 of the fore wing length in the males and to just over half the fore wing length in the females. The thorax is bronze-gold to copper-colored and often purple behind. The tegulae are purple to bluish. The forewings are golden to bronze colored - more rarely also light golden colored - and more or less reddish tint. The reddish tint is occasionally missing. Specimens from the northern and central Apennines often have a reddish bronze-gold to copper-colored basic color. The basal region is clearly purple on the Costa loader and is surrounded by a few bluish scales. The Costalader is colored purple in the first quarter, sometimes the purple coloring can be almost completely absent. In most specimens, the apex is a little more reddish than the basic color. The females are mostly without drawing and have a purple, shiny spot on the front edge of the wing base. Females from the northern and central Apennines resemble the males. The drawing of the males is silvery white and often diffuse. Males from the northern and central Apennines have very clear markings , but the nuraghella blackbird form is absent. A narrow band is about 1/4 the length of the forewing. It runs over half the width of the wing, but does not extend to the Costa loader. It is strongly curved inwards and sometimes reduced to a small spot. A narrow, almost straight band is in the middle of the wing. It usually extends over the entire width of the wing. At 3/4 of the forewing length there is sometimes a small round spot (form seppella Fabricius ) in the front half of the wing , this is clearly pronounced in specimens from the northern and central Apennines. The size and extent of the silver bands is slightly variable. The fringed scales are light gold in color and mostly tinted a little purple. The hind wings are golden to bronze in color and - especially at the apex - more or less purple. The fringed scales are tinted light golden and reddish. Legs and abdomen are brown and have a golden sheen.
In the males the uncus is long and narrow and somewhat enlarged at the tip. The tegumen is narrow and ventrally has a long, broad, ax-shaped process. It is weakly sclerotized , especially on the anterior margin . The ax-shaped extension is provided with a few short bristles. The accessory claspers are small and slipper-shaped. They are located between the processes mentioned above and ventrally behind their base. The accessory claspers have four or five short, slightly curved bristles on the distal dorsal edge. They are spiky and divided several times at the top. At the bottom there are ten long, straight, spiky bristles with a curved tip. In the middle, the accessory claspers have short bristles. The blades are strong and strongly constricted behind the middle. The distal ends are spoon-shaped and slightly curved dorsally. On the inner surface there is an elongated bristle spot postbasally. At the distal end is a row of longer bristles and two or three irregular rows of short, straight, spike-shaped bristles.
The eggs are oval and 400 to 430 micrometers long and 310 to 350 micrometers wide. They are provided with rod-shaped structures up to 60 micrometers long. Immediately before hatching, they change color from transparent white to gray.
The caterpillars are elongated, oval and thickest on the abdominal segments 2 to 4. The track body tapers slightly at both ends. It is provided with eight, sometimes twice as many longitudinal rows of differently shaped, modified hair. They are club-shaped, flattened, ribbed and tapered at the base. The hair of the 8th abdominal segment is thinner and longer. In the last stage they reach a length of 4.0 to 4.5 millimeters. The stigmata can easily be overlooked. The head capsule can be fully retracted into the thorax . The antennae are as long as the head capsule and consist of three members. The first segment of the antennae is short and about as long as it is wide. The second segment is long, seven times as long as it is wide, and somewhat thickened at the base. The third segment is long and thin. It is about 20 times as long as it is wide, but shorter than the second segment. The terminal bristle is shorter. The mandibles are slightly asymmetrical and approximately 0.13 millimeters long and 0.09 millimeters wide. They are heavily sclerotized and have three teeth. The latter are separated from each other by deep notches. The cutting edges of the teeth are partially notched. Spinnerets are not developed. The abdominal legs are pointed and have no hooks.
Similar species
The females of M. aruncella have a purple shiny spot on the front edge of the wing base. In the females of Micropterix calthella this extends over the entire wing base. It is absent in the females of Micropterix isobasella , there may only be a few shimmering purple scales on the costalader .
distribution
The species is widespread in Europe. It is absent in Portugal, Sicily, Malta, Iceland, Romania, Albania, Bulgaria, Crete and in the European part of Turkey.
The moths occur on dry, extensively used meadows and grass-rich forest edges. In the Alps, the species is also found in the Krummholzzone.
biology
The caterpillars were found on balled grasses ( Dactylis ), where they presumably feed on detritus . The pupae lie in a solid cocoon . The moths eat pollen from herbaceous plants and pollen from hawthorn . The moths are diurnal and fly from May to August. They are sociable and can be seen on the flowers of various perennials, shrubs and trees, for example on hawthorns ( Crataegus ), elder ( Sambucus ), nettles ( Urtica ), goat clover ( Cytisus ), cuckoo's light carnation ( Lychnis flos-cuculi ), germander Honor Prize ( Veronica chamaedrys ) and Middle Plantain ( Plantago media ). In the Alps, the moths can also be found in the Krummholzzone on the flowers of the mountain rose ( Rosa pendulina ) and the mountain pine ( Pinus mugo mugo ).
Systematics
The following synonyms are known:
- Phalaena aruncella Scopoli , 1763
- Tinea seppella Fabricius , 1777
- Tinea podevinella Huebner , 1813
- Lampronia concinnella Stephens , 1834
- Micropteryx eximiella Zeller , 1850
- Eriocephala atricapilla Wocke , 1877
- Micropteryx nuraghella blackbird , 1936
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d Peter V. Küppers: Kleinschmetterlinge. Recognize, determine . 1st edition. Fauna-Verlag, Nottuln 2008, ISBN 978-3-935980-24-1 , p. 38 .
- ↑ a b c d e f g h H. Christof Zeller-Lukashort, Marion E. Kurz, David C. Lees, Michael A. Kurz (2007): A review of Micropterix Hübner, 1825 from northern and central Europe (Micropterigidae). Nota Lepidopterologica 30 (2): Pages 235-298 PDF
- ↑ Klausnitzer B., E. Meyer, W. Kössler & G. Eisenbeis (2002): On the larval morphology of Micropterix aruncella (Scopoli, 1963). Contributions to Entomologie 52 (2002) 2: Pages 353-366, doi : 10.21248 / contrib.entomol.52.2.353-366
- ↑ Identification aid of the Lepiforum for the butterfly species found in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Micropterix aruncella (SCOPOLI, 1763). Lepiforum e. V., accessed June 12, 2012 .
- ↑ Micropterix aruncella in Fauna Europaea. Retrieved June 12, 2012
Web links
- Guide to the moths of Great Britain and Ireland. Micropterix aruncella (Scopoli, 1763). Ian Kimber, accessed June 12, 2012 .