Enteucha acetosae

Enteucha acetosae, the pygmy sorrel moth, is a moth of the family Nepticulidae. It is found from Sweden to the Pyrenees, Alps and Serbia and from Ireland to Romania.

Enteucha acetosae
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Nepticulidae
Genus:
Enteucha
Species:
E. acetosae
Binomial name
Enteucha acetosae
(Stainton, 1854)
Synonyms
  • Nepticula acetosae Stainton, 1854
  • Johanssonia acetosae (Stainton, 1854)
  • Johanssoniella acetosae (Stainton, 1854)
  • Nepticula arifoliella Klimesch, 1940

The wingspan is 3–4 mm. (one of the world's smallest moths) The head is fuscous to blackish. Antennal eyecaps whitish. Forewings shining bronze ; a broad shining silvery fascia at 3/4, preceded by a fuscous suffusion apical area beyond this rather dark purplish-fuscous. Hindwings grey. [1] There are two to three generations in western and central Europe

Enteucha acetosae mines, Harlech, North Wales

The larvae feed on Rumex acetosa, Rumex alpestris and Rumex acetosella. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine consists of a narrow, hardly widening spiral corridor that makes about five whole or half circles closely around the egg. The leaf tissue around the mine is intensely reddened. There are often several mines in a single leaf. The frass is deposited in a narrow central line. Pupation takes place outside of the mine.

References
  1. 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


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