Cosmopterix scribaiella

Cosmopterix scribaiella is a moth of the family Cosmopterigidae. It is found from most of Europe (except the Balkan Peninsula) to Japan.

Cosmopterix scribaiella
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Cosmopterigidae
Genus:	Cosmopterix
Species:	C. scribaiella
Binomial name
Cosmopterix scribaiella Zeller, 1850[1]
Synonyms
Cosmopteryx scribaiella Frey, 1856 Cosmopteryx hermsiella E. Hering, 1889

The wingspan is about 10 mm. Adults are on wing from late June to October in western Europe.[2]

The larvae feed on Phragmites australis. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine starts as a corridor, but becomes as wide as the blade in the end half. The widening of the mine is accomplished by adding all tissue between two thick longitudinal veins. Most frass is concentrated in the lowest part of the mine, but part is ejected through a number of small holes. The larva spins a tube in the lowest part of the mine where it hibernates and where pupation takes place.[3]

Subspecies

• Cosmopterix scribaiella scribaiella
• Cosmopterix scribaiella japonica Kuroko, 1960 (Japan)

References

1. Fauna Europaea
2. UKmoths
3. "bladmineerders.nl". Archived from the original on 2012-09-14. Retrieved 2011-03-21.