Ascalenia bifasciella

Ascalenia bifasciella is a butterfly (moth ) from the family of Chrysopeleiidae.

Features

The moths reach a wingspan 7-10 mm. Head, thorax and tegulae are dark brownish gray, the scales have here light gray tips. Thorax and tegulae are forward pale ocher- gray back and dark brownish gray. The forewings are dark mottled brownish gray and light gray at the tips of scales. A wide gray white band is located at 1 /3 of the forewing length, it does not reach the Costa loader and to the wing inner edge. Another binding runs at 2/ 3 of the forewing length of the Costa loader to the internal wing edge. The fringe scales are brownish gray and ocher- gray towards the wing inner edge at the apex. The hind wings shine light gray and are at the apex ocher more. The fringe scales are pale ocher- gray. The abdomen dorsally shining pale gray, ventral is brownish gray. In the males, the anus, and the bunch of segments six and seven of the abdomen are dark brownish gray.

In the male the uncus is very narrow and curved. He widens distally. The Valven have a large rounded basal and a curved caudal part. There is a large, coarse bristles at the base. A single long bristles located on the outer surface, two of the other bristles are located at the edge of the distal portion. On the inner surface there is a series of short and curved bristles. The aedeagus is long and slender, tapering distally.

In females, the slit-shaped bulge of the seventh sternite is broad. The fold of the sixth sternite is quite flat, the rear edge is almost straight and has in the center a small notch. The ostium is surrounded by the side of two sclerotized and bent rims. Laterocaudal located are paired small sign with a net-like structure. The ductus bursae is quite long and runs in a few turns. The sclerotized longitudinal band is narrow, it widens towards corpus bursae. This is egg-shaped and has two large, funnel-shaped signals.

Dissemination

Ascalenia bifasciella is widespread in North Africa.

Biology

The biology of the species is unknown. Moths were caught from April to June.

System

The type of Elachista bizonatella was recently rediscovered at the Natural History Museum in London. Although the copy is missing the abdomen, yet it is conspecific for their showy whitish bars on the fore wings with Ascalenia bifasciella.

• Elachista bizonatella Turati, 1930

Documents

• Chrysopeleiidae
• Chrysopeleiidae (Family)