Ochsenheimeria taurella | |
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Ochsenheimeria taurella. Female, dorsal view | |
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Male, side view | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Lepidoptera |
Family: | Ypsolophidae |
Genus: | Ochsenheimeria |
Species: | O. taurella |
Binomial name | |
Ochsenheimeria taurella (Denis & Schiffermuller, 1775) | |
Synonyms | |
List
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Ochsenheimeria taurella, the Liverpool feather-horn or the rye stem borer, is a moth of the family Ypsolophidae.
This species can be found in most of Europe, as well as North Africa and the Middle East. [1]
Ochsenheimeria taurella has a wingspan of 11–12 mm. [2] These rather distinctive microlepidoptera have brownish or ochreous forewings, with erect scales. These scales sometimes tend to form ill-defined fasciae of different colour. A tuft of erect scales in present on the head. The abdomen is dark brown. The females have the antennae with long black erected scales for over half of their length. [3] Metrick - Antennae thickened with rough scales to above middle. Forewings fuscous or ochreous fuscous, mixed with lighter and darker, and with loosely raised scales. Hindwings rather dark purplish-fuscous, becoming transparent on a patch towards base. Larva slender, whitish-yellowish; head pale yellow-brownish. [4] This species is rather similar to Ochsenheimeria vacculella , but the latter lacks the erect antennal scales.
Adults are on wing from July to September. [2] They fly in the early afternoon sunshine. [2] From September to May, the caterpillars overwinter. They feed on various coarse grasses (Poaceae), including cock's-foot ( Dactylis glomerata ), rough bluegrass ( Poa trivialis ), rye ( Secale cereale ) (hence the common name), meadow foxtail ( Alopecurus pratensis ), barley ( Hordeum vulgare ), oat ( Avena sativa ) and wheat ( Triticum aestivum ). They mine the stems of their host plant. [2] [3] [5]