Mompha jurassicella

Mompha jurassicella is a moth in the family Momphidae that can be found in western Europe. The range extends to Switzerland in the east.

Mompha jurassicella
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Momphidae
Genus: Mompha
Species:
M. jurassicella
Binomial name
Mompha jurassicella
(Frey, 1881)
Synonyms

Description

The species is greyish brown and has a wingspan of 11–13 millimetres (0.43–0.51 in). The wings carry discarded markings, and have indistinct pattern.[1] Adults are on wing from August to October and from March to April after overwintering.

Male genitalia

The male species sacculus is tapped distally, but is slightly bent. The apex is blunt, reaching sometimes beyond the top of cacullus. Their body also have small anellus lobes, which are clavate. The aedeagus have three carnuti, which are of the same length. The left part is broad, and is also covered and hooked with microspicules. The middle part is bifurcate, and the last one is slender and a bit pointy, with a little distal hook. The male genitalia is similar to the one of Mompha divisella, but is different in a way that it have much more abruptly tapped sacculus and corni of different length.[1]

Ecology

The larvae feed on great willowherb (Epilobium hirsutum), initially feeding inside the stem.[2] Up to three stem mines may be found in a single plant.

References
  1. Sjaak Koster, Sergey Sinev. Microlepidoptera of Europe. 5. Apollo Books. pp. 34–35. ISBN 87-88757-66-8. ISSN 1395-9506.
  2. "Mompha jurassicella". UKMoths. Retrieved 29 April 2020.


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