Metzneria lappella

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Metzneria lappella
Gelehiidae - Metzneria lappella.JPG
35.056 BF724 Metzneria lappella (5755802947).jpg
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Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Gelechiidae
Genus: Metzneria
Species:
M. lappella
Binomial name
Metzneria lappella
Synonyms
  • Phalaena (Tinea) lappellaLinnaeus, 1758
  • Gelechia lappellaLinnaeus, 1758
  • Phalaena lappella

Metzneria lappella, the burdock seedhead moth or burdock seed moth, is a moth of the family Gelechiidae.

Contents

Distribution

This species is present in most of Europe [2] and it is widely distributed throughout the Palaearctic region, northwards to the Arctic Circle. It is an introduced species in North America, [3] where it is found from Maine and Quebec to Florida, west to Ontario and Missouri.

Habitat

These moths mainly inhabit fields, roadsides and waste places. [4]

Description

Metzneria lappella has a wingspan of 13–19 mm. [5] The forewings are yellow with dull brown streaks. There is no definite pattern, but the brown colour is heaviest along the costa near the middle. [6]

Larva 35.056 BF724 Metzneria lappella & hibernaculum (16313462454).jpg
Larva

Biology

Adults are on wing in June and July in the north of North America and from April to August in the south. In England they fly in June and July. There is one generation per year (univoltine species). The larvae feed on the developing seeds of Arctium species, including Arctium lappa and Arctium minus . [7]

The larvae have a translucent-whitish body and a brown-ochre head. Larvae can be found in late summer, fall, and spring. The species overwinters in the larval stage. Pupation takes place in the seedhead.

Related Research Articles

<i>Arctium</i> Genus of flowering plants

Arctium is a genus of biennial plants commonly known as burdock, family Asteraceae. Native to Europe and Asia, several species have been widely introduced worldwide. Burdock's clinging properties, in addition to providing an excellent mechanism for seed dispersal, led to the invention of the hook and loop fastener.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gelechiidae</span> Family of moths

The Gelechiidae are a family of moths commonly referred to as twirler moths or gelechiid moths. They are the namesake family of the huge and little-studied superfamily Gelechioidea, and the family's taxonomy has been subject to considerable dispute. These are generally very small moths with narrow, fringed wings. The larvae of most species feed internally on various parts of their host plants, sometimes causing galls. Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga) is a host plant common to many species of the family, particularly of the genus Chionodes, which as a result is more diverse in North America than usual for Gelechioidea.

<i>Metzneria</i> Genus of moths

Metzneria is a genus of moths in the family Gelechiidae, described by Philipp Christoph Zeller in 1839.

<i>Polypogon tentacularia</i> Species of moth

Polypogon tentacularia is a species of litter moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. It is found in Europe.

<i>Diacrisia sannio</i> Species of moth

Diacrisia sannio, the clouded buff, is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. It is found in the Palearctic realm from Ireland to Siberia. It is not found in North Africa. In the Russian Far East, eastern China, Korea, and Japan it is replaced by Diacrisia irene.

<i>Euthrix potatoria</i> Species of moth

Euthrix potatoria, the drinker, is an orange-brown moth of the family Lasiocampidae.

<i>Coscinia cribraria</i> Species of moth

Coscinia cribraria, the speckled footman, is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. It is found in Europe except the most northern parts; also in north-western Africa, Kazakhstan, Siberia, Mongolia, north-western and north-eastern China.

<i>Tinea trinotella</i> Species of moth

Tinea trinotella is a species of tineoid moth. It belongs to the fungus moth family (Tineidae), and therein to the nominate subfamily Tineinae. It was once used as type species of a distinct genus Acedes, but this is synonymized today with Tinea, the type genus of Tineinae, Tineidae and the superfamily Tineoidea.

<i>Coleophora frischella</i> Species of moth

Coleophora frischella, the clover case-bearer or Frisch’s case-moth, is a moth of the family Coleophoridae. It is found in most of Europe, east to the eastern parts of the Palearctic realm. It is also present in the Near East.

<i>Epiblema sticticana</i> Species of moth

Epiblema sticticana is a species of moth of the family Tortricidae described by Philogène Auguste Joseph Duponchel in 1842.

<i>Apodia bifractella</i> Species of moth

Apodia bifractella is a moth of the family Gelechiidae. It is found in most of Europe, as well as Turkey, the Caucasus and North Africa.

<i>Aethes rubigana</i> Species of moth

Aethes rubigana, the burdock conch, is a moth of the family Tortricidae. It was described by Treitschke in 1830. It is found in most of Europe, except the Iberian Peninsula and part of the Balkan Peninsula. Outside of Europe, it is found in China, Japan and Russia.

<i>Metzneria aestivella</i> Species of moth

Metzneria aestivella is a moth of the family Gelechiidae. It is found in most of Europe, except Iceland, Norway, Lithuania, Slovakia and Ukraine. The habitat consists of dry, sunny areas with low-growing herbaceous plants.

<i>Caryocolum alsinella</i> Species of moth

Caryocolum alsinella is a moth of the family Gelechiidae. It is found throughout Europe It is also present in North Africa.

<i>Metzneria neuropterella</i> Species of moth

Metzneria neuropterella, the brown-veined neb, is a moth of the family Gelechiidae. It is found from most of Europe to the southern Ural Mountains, the Caucasus, southern and south-eastern Siberia and Mongolia, as well as in North Africa. The habitat consist of short-turfed, herb rich chalk downland.

<i>Metzneria ehikeella</i> Species of moth

Metzneria ehikeella is a moth of the family Gelechiidae. It is widely distributed from central and northern Europe to the Ural Mountains. It is also present in North Africa, Turkey, the Caucasus, the Near East and Central Asia.

<i>Metzneria metzneriella</i> Species of moth

Metzneria metzneriella is a moth of the family Gelechiidae. It is widely distributed throughout Europe, as well as Turkey and southern Siberia. The habitat consists of dry pastures and calcareous soils.

<i>Metzneria aprilella</i> Species of moth

Metzneria aprilella, the brilliant neb, is a moth of the family Gelechiidae. It is widely distributed throughout Europe. Outside of Europe, it is found in Turkey, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Iran and southern Siberia. The habitat consists of waste ground and grassland.

<i>Metzneria santolinella</i> Species of moth

Metzneria santolinella is a moth of the family Gelechiidae. It is widely distributed throughout Europe. Outside of Europe, it is found in Turkey, the Caucasus and Central Asia.

Ptocheuusa paupella, the light fleabane neb, is a moth of the family Gelechiidae. It is found from central and southern Europe to the Ural Mountains. It is also found in Turkey and India.

References

  1. Fauna Europaea
  2. Distribution of Metzneria lappella in Fauna Europaea
  3. Junnilainen, J. et al. 2010: The gelechiid fauna of the southern Ural Mountains, part II: list of recorded species with taxonomic notes (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae). Zootaxa , 2367: 1–68. Preview
  4. McLeod, Robin (October 12, 2016). "Species Metzneria lappella - Burdock Seedhead Moth - Hodges#1685". BugGuide. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  5. Microlepidoptera.nl (in Dutch)
  6. Lotts, Kelly & Naberhaus, Thomas (2017). "Burdock Seedhead Moth Metzneria lappella (Linnaeus, 1758)". Butterflies and Moths of North America. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  7. Kimber, Ian. "35.056 BF724 Metzneria lappella (Linnaeus, 1758)". UKMoths. Retrieved 5 August 2020.