Phosphaticola
Phosphaticola gemmatella is a butterfly (moth ) from the family of the splendor butterfly ( Cosmopterigidae ).
Features
The moths reach a wingspan of 11-12 millimeters. The head is ocher gray and white on the sides. The antennae are ringed and gray-brown in the first half white. Thorax and tegulae are ocher- gray back and a little pale. The forewings are yellowish gray and more or less strongly with scales gray, especially on the wing inner edge. The basal area is ocher- gray, it is an indistinct white band connects. At the Costa loader at 3 /4 of the forewing length of a large gray spot that extends to the interior angle and becomes narrower. Toward the apex, a broad white band joins, the outer area is interspersed with ocher-colored scales. On the Costa loader and on the wing inner edge is bordered gray brown. For drawing includes four hump-like, bronze shimmering spots. This shining golden and blue and outlined in black. The first is located at 1 /3 of the forewing length below the anal fold. The second is located below the Costa loader and is shifted slightly towards the wing tip. The third is located in the wing center at 2/ 3 of the forewing length. The fourth and smallest is located on the interior angles. The fringe scales are whitish, in front of the interior angles is a wide gray-brown line. The hind wings shimmer orange gray, the Costa loader is white at the base. The fringe scales are ocher brown. The abdomen is dorsally pale yellow, the first segment and the basal half of the second segment are grayish.
In the males, the Brachia are long, asymmetrical and longer than the Tegumen. The left brachium is longer than the right and provided with an apical protuberance. The Valven are quite short and spatulate. The Valvellae are club-shaped and of equal size. The aedeagus is large and curved in the middle. The juxtaposition is sparsely covered with small needles.
In females, the Apophyses are posterior half times as long as the anterior Apophyses. The leading edge of 8 Tergits has a V-shaped indentation. The sterigma is sclerotized triangular and strong. The ductus bursae is narrow and about half as long as the corpus bursae. The corpus bursae is quite large and pear-shaped and has two elongated Signa.
Dissemination
Phosphaticola gemmatella is based in Tunisia.
Biology
The habit of the species is unknown. The moths were collected in early February.