Micropterix aureatella
Micropterix aureatella
Micropterix aureatella is a butterfly of the family of Urmotten ( Micropterigidae ).
- 4.1 Notes and references
- 4.2 External links
Features
The male moths reach a wingspan of 7.8 to 9.6 millimeters and a forewing length of 3.9 to 4.6 millimeters. The females are slightly larger and reach a wingspan of 8.9 to 10.3 millimeters at a forewing length of 4.2 to 4.8 millimeters. They have purple-violet, sometimes bronze and purple violet shimmering forewing, where equally spaced three gold, bronze rimmed binding dominate. The binder in the rear third quarter of the wing is reduced to a spot in the center of the blade only partially tapering the edges, and, if at all, only in contact with the wing leading edge. In the violet part of the wings partly bluish scales are visible. The hind wings are bronze and have only a slightly purplish tinge. All wings have long, bronze-colored fringes, the fringes of the hind wings are whitish but outside. The moths have a dark brown head, which is yellow-brown to pale hairy ocher. The thorax is dark bronze, to the rear a little purple-violet, and in this area sometimes isolated, blue scales are visible. The abdomen is golden brown. The thread-like antennae are colored golden brown and have a purple tinge. They are slightly shorter than in the males, not quite achieve their sensor, the front wing length in females. The legs are light brown golden.
Similar Species
- Micropterix trifasciella
- Micropterix rablensis
- Micropterix croatica
- Micropterix allionella
- Micropterix wockei
Occurrence
The diurnal butterflies are found throughout the Palaearctic, but lacking in North Africa. They live mainly in moors, rare in moist forest edges, on acidic soils, and fly in large groups to sunlit, blossoming mountain pine (Pinus mugo ) and blueberry bushes (Vaccinium myrtillus). They are found both in the lowlands, as well as at higher altitudes, where they spend there, especially in the coppice.
Way of life
The Urmotten have unlike most well-trained butterflies mandibles and thus eat pollen of various plants. Micropterix aureatella preferred pollen of sedges ( Carex spp.).
The females lay oval, transparent white eggs, which become discolored gray just before hatching the caterpillar. Both the bead, as well as on the doll is not known. But one suspects that the caterpillars of blueberry bushes (Vaccinium spp.) Feed.