Coccidiphila ledereriella
Coccidiphila ledereriella is a butterfly (moth ) from the family of the splendor butterfly ( Cosmopterigidae ).
Features
The moths reach a wingspan 8-10 mm. The head is shiny white and tinted ocher in the middle. The neck is strong tufts speckled with dark gray scales. The first two thirds of the sensors are curled ocher gray and dark gray. The last third is dark gray and has five white rings. The thorax is dark gray. The tegulae are also dark gray and laterally lined white wide. The front wings are ocher and often more or less - dark gray mottled - especially in the apical region. A gray Costalstrich extends from the wing base to a good 2 /3 of the forewing length. It is widest in the center. An irregular, dark gray spot is located in the anal fold at 1/ 3 of the forewing length. A dark gray, very oblique outward and curved line extends from the middle of the wing inner edge to the apex. There is a small gray Dorsalstrich at the base. The fringe scales are gray and ocher have at the apex two dark brown lines. The hind wings shining gray. The abdomen is also gray.
In the males the right brachium is shorter than the Tegumen. It is moderately to strongly curved, flattened on the sides and strongly sclerotized. The left brachium short and plump. The Valven are quite compact and have an almost circular cucullus. The Valvellae are straight, bent at right angles behind the middle and tapering to a sharp point. The aedeagus is tapered at the top.
In the males, the rear edge of the 7th sternite a semicircular bulge and sharp and spiny margins. The ostium is circular. The sterigma is spherical, has a narrow horizontal front bar and a rear short and wide lobe. The corpus bursae is densely covered with crescent-shaped comb structures.
Dissemination
Coccidiphila ledereriella is located in the Mediterranean (France, Italy, Malta, Sardinia). Older reports from Asia Minor and North Africa require confirmation. News from the Canary Islands are likely to be due to confusion with Coccidiphila Riedli.
Biology
The caterpillars live on the remains of insects, which are either derived from spider webs or nests of gregarious caterpillars. They were also found in dried-up plant material and bile of various plants. It makes several generations per year. The moths fly from early April to late September, in Morocco in January and in March.
System
Coccidiphila ledereriella and Coccidiphila tion ella can not by their habit yet be distinguished by features of the genitals. The latter type was therefore synonymised with C. ledereriella.
From the literature, the following synonyms are known:
- Cosmopteryx ledereriella Zeller, 1850
- Teleia unedella Millière, 1876
- Coccidiphila tion ella J. Nel & Brusseaux, 1997