Eriocrania semipurpurella

Last updated

Eriocrania semipurpurella
Eriocrania semipurpurella01.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Eriocraniidae
Genus: Eriocrania
Species:
E. semipurpurella
Binomial name
Eriocrania semipurpurella
(Stephens, 1835)
Synonyms
  • Lampronia semipurpurellaStephens, 1835
  • Micropteryx amentellaZeller, 1850
  • Micropteryx inconspicuellaWood, 1890

Eriocrania semipurpurella (Purplish birch-miner) is a moth of the family Eriocraniidae, found from Europe to Japan and in North America. It was first described by James Francis Stephens in 1835. The species closely resembles Eriocrania sangii and the larvae of both species mine the leaves of birch.

Contents

Description

The wingspan is 10–16 mm. Edward Meyrick gives this description: Forewings elongate, bronzy-purple, more or less sprinkled with pale shining golden; an indistinct usually small transverse pale golden dorsal spot before tornus, sometimes almost obsolete; cilia bronzy-grey, on dorsal spot ochreous-whitish; 9 absent. Hindwings with hairscales except towards margins posteriorly, bronzy-grey, posteriorly purplish-tinged. Larva whitish; head pale ochreous-brown, mouth darker in blotch in leaves of birch. The moth flies from March to April depending on the location. [1] The moth flies in sunshine around birch trees ( Betula species), sometimes in swarms in March and April. In dull weather, they rest on twigs. [2]

Similar species

E. semipurpurella looks similar to E. sangii and can only be told apart by looking at the genitalia. [3]

Other stages

Eggs are laid on the leaf bud and the larvae feed on the leaves in a mine from the end of March to early-May. The mine starts at or near the edge of a leaf and widens into a blotch. The frass is string-like. The larvae have dark markings on the head and prothorax which lighten as it matures. [2] [4] Pupation takes place in a tough silken cocoon in the soil. [2]

Larva Eriocrania semipurpurella, Nantlle, North Wales, May 2016 - Flickr - janetgraham84.jpg
Larva
Mine Eriocrania semipurpurella mine1.jpg
Mine

Subspecies

Etymology

Stephens described the moth from a specimen found in Darenth Wood, Kent, England, naming the moth, Lampronia semipurpurella. The genus Lampronia was raised by Stephens in 1829 and is from the Greek lampros – meaning ″bright: from the bright coloration of some of the species.″ The moth is now in the genus Eriocrania , which was raised by Philipp Christoph Zeller in 1851. Erion means wool and kranion means the upper part of the head, which refers to the hair-scales on the top of the head. The specific name semipurpurella is from semi – half, and purpureus – from the forewing colouration. [5] [6]

Related Research Articles

Eriocraniidae Family of moths

Eriocraniidae is a family of moths restricted to the Holarctic region, with six extant genera. These small, metallic moths are usually day-flying, emerging fairly early in the northern temperate spring. They have a proboscis with which they drink water or sap. The larvae are leaf miners on Fagales, principally the trees birch (Betula) and oak (Quercus), but a few on Salicales and Rosales.

<i>Dyseriocrania subpurpurella</i> Moth species in family Eriocraniidae

Dyseriocrania subpurpurella is a diurnal moth from the family Eriocraniidae, found in most of Europe. The moth was first named by the English entomologist, Adrian Hardy Haworth in 1828.

<i>Agonopterix ocellana</i> Species of moth

Agonopterix ocellana is a species of moth of the family Depressariidae. It is found in Europe and was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1775

<i>Anacampsis populella</i> Species of moth

Anacampsis populella is a moth of the family Gelechiidae, which is native to Europe and has been accidentally introduced to North America. It was first described in 1759 by Carl Alexander Clerck, a Swedish entomologist. The type specimen is from Sweden. The foodplants of the larvae are poplars and willows.

<i>Eriocrania sangii</i> Moth species in family Eriocraniidae

Eriocrania sangii, the large birch purple, is a moth of the family Eriocraniidae found in Europe and described by John Henry Wood in 1891. The moth can be found flying in sunshine around birch trees and the larvae feed on birch leaves.

<i>Eriocrania cicatricella</i> Moth species in family Eriocraniidae

Eriocrania cicatricella is a moth of the family Eriocraniidae found in Europe. It was first described by Johan Wilhelm Zetterstedt in 1839. The larvae mine the leaves of birch.

<i>Eriocrania salopiella</i> Moth species in family Eriocraniidae

Eriocrania salopiella is a moth of the family Eriocraniidae and is found in Europe. It was described by the English entomologist, Henry Tibbats Stainton in 1854. The larvae mine the leaves of birch.

<i>Eriocrania sparrmannella</i> Moth species in family Eriocraniidae

Eriocrania sparrmannella also known as the mottled purple is a moth of the family Eriocraniidae, found in Europe and Japan. It was first described by the French entomologist, Louis Augustin Guillaume Bosc in 1791. The specific name honours the Swedish naturalist Anders Erikson Sparrman. The larvae mine the leaves of birch.

<i>Eriocrania unimaculella</i> Moth species in family Eriocraniidae

Eriocrania unimaculella is a moth of the family Eriocraniidae found in Europe. It was first described by the Swedish naturalist Johan Wilhelm Zetterstedt in 1839. The larvae feed inside the leaves of birch, making a mine.

<i>Eriocrania chrysolepidella</i> Moth species in family Eriocraniidae

Eriocrania chrysolepidella is a moth of the family Eriocraniidae found in Europe. It was first described by the German entomologist, Philipp Christoph Zeller in 1851. The larvae mine the leaves of hazel and hornbeam.

<i>Stigmella salicis</i> Species of moth

Stigmella salicis is a moth of the family Nepticulidae which is found in Europe. It was first described by the English entomologist, Henry Stainton in 1854. The type locality is from England.

<i>Ectoedemia intimella</i> Species of moth

Ectoedemia intimella is a moth of the family Nepticulidae which is found in Europe. It flies in June and July and the larva mine the leaves of willows from July to November.

<i>Zealandopterix zonodoxa</i> Species of moth endemic to New Zealand

Zealandopterix zonodoxa is a moth of the family Micropterigidae. It endemic to New Zealand and is found from the Hawkes Bay north as well as on Poor Knights, Little Barrier and Great Barrier Islands. It is the smallest micropterigid in New Zealand and the shiny white markings on the forewing of this species are variable. It is a day flying moth, but has been collected using UV light. Adults are on the wing from September to March and the species has been witnessed visiting the flowers of Nikau and Cordyline pumilio in large numbers. It inhabits a wide variety of moist indigenous forest but is associated with forests in which podocarps are common. Larvae have been sieved from rotten wood on the floor of a mixed podocarp/broadleaf forest or extracted from moss or from bryophytes.

<i>Cosmopterix lienigiella</i> Species of moth

Cosmopterix lienigiella is a moth of the family Cosmopterigidae. It is found from Fennoscandia to Spain, the Alps and Greece and from Ireland to Ukraine. It is also present in eastern Russia and Japan. It is the type species of the genus Cosmopterix.

<i>Pancalia leuwenhoekella</i>

Pancalia leuwenhoekella is a moth in the family Cosmopterigidae.

<i>Aproaerema anthyllidella</i> Species of moth

Aproaerema anthyllidella is a moth of the family Gelechiidae. It is found in most of Europe, Kyrgyzstan, Iran and North America.

<i>Scrobipalpa artemisiella</i> Species of moth

Scrobipalpa artemisiella is a moth of the family Gelechiidae. It is found in most of Europe, Turkey and Syria through the Caucasus and Central Asia to Irkutsk and Mongolia. It has also been recorded from North America, but this records requires confirmation.

<i>Phaulernis fulviguttella</i> Species of moth

Phaulernis fulviguttella, the yellow-spotted lance-wing, is a moth of the family Epermeniidae found in the Palearctic including Europe.

<i>Gelechia sororculella</i> Species of moth

Gelechia sororculella, the dark-striped groundling, is a moth of the family Gelechiidae. It is widely distributed from Europe, throughout Siberia to the Russian Far East.

<i>Hierodoris iophanes</i> Species of moth, endemic to New Zealand

Hierodoris iophanes is a moth of the family Oecophoridae. It was described by Edward Meyrick in 1912. This species can be distinguished from others in its genus by the purple metallic colouration as well as the blue-white mark on its forewings. It is endemic to New Zealand, where it has been recorded from Auckland to Southland. This species inhabits native forest or scrub, with the adults preferring open glades. They are known to be on the wing from November until February and fly during daylight hours, being active on hot sunny days. Larvae feed on the interior of twigs of Prumnopitys ferruginea. The twigs had evidence of oviposition scars of cicadas and the larvae were collected in October after reddish-brown frass indicated their location within the twigs.

References

  1. Meyrick, E., 1895 A Handbook of British Lepidoptera MacMillan, London pdf PD-icon.svgThis article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain . Keys and description
  2. 1 2 3 Heath, John (1983). Eriocraniidae. In The Moths and Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland. Volume 1. Colchester: Harley Books. pp. 156–165. ISBN   0 946589 15 1.
  3. Kimber, Ian. "Eriocrania semipurpurella (Stephens, 1835)". UKmoths. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  4. "2.007 Eriocrania semipurpurella (Stephens, 1835)". British Leafminers. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  5. Smith, Frank. "Microlepidoptera (Micro-Moths)" (PDF). Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Federation for Biological Recorders. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  6. Emmet, A Maitland (1991). The Scientific Names of the British Lepidoptera. Their history and meaning. Colchester: Harley Books. pp. 42 & 49. ISBN   0 946589 35 6.