Dystebenna
Dystebenna stephensi is a butterfly (moth ) from the family of the grass leaf miner ( Elachistidae ).
Features
The moths reach a wingspan of 8-9 millimeters. The head shines white, the neck tufts interspersed with brown scales. The antennae are ringed white and light brown, the last 5 segments are white. Thorax and tegulae are white and speckled front strong brown. The forewings are gray and white and have at the base of Costa loader a brown stain, which is followed by a broad and extending in the wing center binding. Brown Costalstriche located at half distance from the wing base and at the apex. Two dark brown spots with protruding scales are found in one third and two thirds of the length of the vane inner edge. A narrow orange-brown line extends from the center of the front wing base to the inner dorsal spot. An orange brown spot is located below the Costalstrichs, this is connected to a orange-brown line on the apex. The fringe scales are light gray and have two brown transverse lines. The hind wings shining gray.
In the male the uncus is missing. The Gnathos - arms are short and fitted at the top with large Knubbeln. The Tegumen is angular. The Valven are provided bilobed and with a lateral hook-like projection. The Vinculum is "V" - shaped and has a long tapered sac. The aedeagus is long, straight and tubular. The Apex is hook-shaped, the vesica is provided with spines.
In females, the posterior Apophyses are nearly twice as long as the anterior Apophyses. The eighth tergite narrowed distally. The Lamella postvaginalis has two sclerotized plates. The antrum is cup-shaped. The ductus bursae is short and widens the corpus bursae. The corpus bursae is ovate, the Signum has the form of a long granulated band.
Dissemination
Dystebenna stephensi is in Central Europe, England, located in the south of Sweden in the Crimea and in the west Transcaucasia.
Biology
The caterpillars develop on oak (Quercus ) and chestnut species ( Castanea ) where they live under the bark of large and old trees. You also pupate in the bark. It makes one generation per year, the moths fly from late June to early September and are often found in beef columns on the trunk of the host plants where they get caught in spider webs.
System
The type species is Elachista stephensi Stainton, 1849 From the literature, the following synonyms are known. The genus is monotypic.
- Elachista stephensi Stainton, 1849
- Tebenna tesselatella Herrich -Schäffer,
- Laverna stephensiella Doubleday, 1859