Limnaecia phragmitella
Limnaecia phragmitella Illustration from Stainton: Natural History of the Tineina
Limnaecia phragmitella is a butterfly (moth ) from the family of the splendor butterfly ( Cosmopterigidae ).
Features
The moths reach a wingspan of 16-22 millimeters. The head is ocher, the sensors are yellowish white, brown curled and have a nearly white apical region. The thorax and tegulae are ocher. The front wings are ocher and pale yellow on the Costa loader. A faint, gray-brown line follows the anal fold, before the distal end thereof is an elongated white spot. In the middle of wing there are two gray-brown, white -bordered spots. The interior is in front of half the forewing length, the exterior at 3/ 4 of the forewing length. Both spots are connected by a gray-brown line, which begins as a narrow line behind the wing base. In the apical region of the Flügeladerung indicated gray-brown and sometimes white border. Along the Apex is a chain of whitish points. The fringe scales are pale ocher and the wing inner edge toward yellowish. The hind wings are gray. The abdomen is brownish gray, the segments back yellowish white bands.
In the males, the Brachia are very asymmetric. The right brachium is long, pointed and strongly sclerotized. It is 2.5 times as long as the left. The Valven are concave and have a short and rounded cucullus. Valve the right is wider at the base. The Valvellae are strongly asymmetric. The left Valvella is spatulate and longer than the Valve. The tip is provided with a spot short needles. The right Valvella is sclerotized short and curved and strong. It is fused with the right Valve. The aedeagus is short and tapers to the tip. The proximal portion is bulbous.
In females, the papillae are fused anal and only slightly sclerotized. The apophyses are very long and sclerotized vigorous and strong. The sterigma is tubular, slightly curved and sclerotized. The ductus bursae slightly tapering towards corpus bursae, the distal half is sclerotized. The corpus bursae is provided with two ovate and short needled Signa.
Dissemination
The species has a worldwide distribution and is found wherever the host plants grow.
Biology
The caterpillars develop on Schmalblättrigem cattail ( Typha angustifolia) and broadleaf cattail ( Typha latifolia ). The young caterpillars initially live in the marrow of the leaf sheath, and later nate in the seed flasks or in thin stems. Do not eat the seeds of the piston, but the marrow of leaf sheaths. The caterpillars overwinter often sociable in the seeds piston or in the leaf sheaths and stems. In the spring you can see infested seeds piston on hanging out fluff. The caterpillars cocoon surrounding the cattail prevented, however, that the seeds are blown by the wind. The caterpillars pupate in June in an elongated, whitish cocoon in the seed flask. The moths fly from late June to late August.