Cosmopterix lienigiella

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.

Mined leaf blade of Phragmites

Larva

Cosmopterix lienigiella
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Cosmopterigidae
Genus:	Cosmopterix
Species:	C. lienigiella
Binomial name
Cosmopterix lienigiella Zeller, 1846[1]

The wingspan is 10–13 mm.[2]The forewings are light brownish ochreous; costal and dorsal edges white ; a fine white longitudinal subcostal line from costa near base to 1/3, another along fold from base to middle, and a short one beneath posterior extremity of this ; a somewhat brighter fascia beyond middle,narrowed dorsally, edged with pale golden metallic streaks, posterior interrupted, anterior followed by a variable black spot above middle ; a white longitudinal streak from near beyond this to apex. Hindwings are grey.The larva is rosy-whitish, sometimes with rosy transverse bands; dorsal line darker; head black; 2 broad, with a black mark. [3]

Adults are on wing from September to April.

The larvae feed on Phragmites australis. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine starts as a gallery, but soon widens to a broad blotch, entirely or partly running upwards, in the end half as wide as the leaf. Most frass is concentrated in the first section. Pupation takes place in a cocoon in the top section of the mine.[4]

References

1. Fauna Europaea
2. Norfolk Moths
3. Meyrick, E., 1895 A Handbook of British Lepidoptera MacMillan, London pdf This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. Keys and description
4. "bladmineerders.nl". Archived from the original on 2012-09-14. Retrieved 2011-03-21.