Cosmopterix attenuatella

Cosmopterix attenuatella

Cosmopterix attenuatella is a butterfly (moth ) from the family of the splendor butterfly ( Cosmopterigidae ).

Features

The moths reach a wingspan 9-10 mm. The head has a gray-white forehead ( frons ), the crown (vertex ) and the neck tufts brown. There are white lines on the sides and in the middle. The neck collar is brown. The first segment of labial palps is very short, the second segment is 4/5 as long as the third, white on the inside and the outside brown and marked with a white vertical line. The third segment is white, on the sides there are brown lines.

The base segment of the sensor is brown and front opening with a white line. Ventral it is white. The sensor scourge is marked dark brown and with a broken line, which extends from the base to 2 /3 of the probe length. With the start of the second half probe follows two white segments each a brown segment. At 3 /4 of the probe length, there are two white rings that consist of two segments. These are separated by two brown segments. The sensor has an additional white subapical ring of three segments and at the top five brown segments.

Thorax and tegulae are brown. The chest has a white center line are drawn tegulae inside with a line. The legs are gray-brown, the femora of the middle and rear legs are pale. The tibiae and Tarsenglieder the front legs have a white line. The tibiae of the middle legs have basal and medial oblique white line and a white Apikalring. The Tarsenglieder have a very wide, white Apikalring. The fifth Tarsenglied is completely white. The tibiae of the hind legs are also colored as those of the middle legs. The first Tarsenglied of the hind legs has a white basal ring and a white Apikalring. The second to fourth Tarsenglieder have yellowish-white Apikalringe, the fifth Tarsenglied is completely yellowish white. The Spurs are white and have a ventrally dark gray line.

The forewings are dark brown and drawn in the basal region with four narrow white lines. The Subcostallinie extends from the wing base to 1/ 5 of the forewing length and curves distally from the Costa loader away. The medial line is located above the anal fold, ranging from first -fifth to the first third of the forewing length. The Subdorsallinie is as long as the medial line or a little longer and is a little further away from the wing base. The Dorsallinie extends from the wing base up to 1 /3 of the forewing length. The white line drawing of the basal region is slightly variable, especially in the medial and Subdorsallinie.

A bright dark yellow to orange transverse fascia is located behind the wing center. It tapers towards the wing inner edge and is elongated in the middle thin towards the apex. Inside it is bounded by a nodular, pale golden fascia. This is not enough to Costa loader and runs at a slight angle inward. On the outside borders of an existing shed blackish spot, which is surrounded on the outer edge of two nodular, pale golden costal and Dorsalflecken. The Dorsalfleck is approximately twice as large as the Costalfleck. At the latter the outside borders a white Costalstrich. Both spots are inside edged dark brown. White Apikallinie is interrupted or most narrow at the center. The fringe scales are dark brown and the wing inner margin pale. The hind wings are gray-brown and also gray-brown fringed scales.

The abdomen is dorsally brown, the segments are mottled orange brown. Laterally it is gray and dark gray ventrally. The segments are banded behind white. The after tufts of males is ocher, with the females it is brown and has a white spot ventrally.

In the males the right brachium is hook-shaped and has a plate, sharp tip. It is about three times as long as the left brachium. The upper edge of the blades is strongly concave, the lower edge is slightly concave, the Caudalrand is convex. The Valvellae are slim, curved and pointed. The aedeagus is arrow shaped and very narrow. The front part is slightly curved upwards, the rear part is short and extends distally.

In females, the rear edge of the 7th sternite is straight. The eighth segment is twice as wide as long. The ostium bursae is elongate. The sterigma is bottle-shaped. The ductus bursae is very narrow and bursae more than twice as long as the corpus. The corpus bursae is elongate and has no signals.

Similar Species

Cosmopterix attenuatella similar Cosmopterix crassicervicella, differs from this species but by the broken line on the sensors, ranging from the base to 2 /3 of the probe length. The front wings are stretched and about ten times as long as wide. In the basal region, the center line and the Subdorsallinie are almost over. The abdomen is dorsally brown, the segments are dotted orange brown.

Dissemination

Cosmopterix attenuatella occurs in Madeira, the Canary Islands and in the tropical regions of the Old and New World. All messages from the European mainland refer to Cosmopterix crassicervicella.

Biology

The caterpillars develop on ledges ( Scirpus ) and nut grass ( Cyperus rotundus ). You nate in the leaves and begin the mine at the blade tip. The Minie grows down and takes up the whole page. In the mine droppings are visible. Older areas of the mine are brown and wither, while fresh befressene sections are pale yellow. The caterpillars pupate in the mine in an elongated, white cocoon. In the south of the temperate zone, the type probably forms two generations in the tropics can throughout the year Falter be found.

System

There are known the following synonyms:

• Cosmopteryx mimetis Meyrick, 1897
• Cosmopteryx flavofasciata Wollastone, 1879
• Gelechia attenuatella Walker, 1864
• Cosmopteryx apiculata Meyrick, 1922
• Cosmopteryx Antillia Forbes, 1931
• Cosmopteryx venefica Meyrick, 1915
• Cosmopterix apiculata Meyrick, 1922

Documents

• Splendor falter
• Cosmopterigidae