Agonopterix kuznetzovi
Encyclopedia
Agonopterix kuznetzovi is a moth
of the Oecophoridae
family. It is found in Great Britain
and Russia
.
The wingspan
is 15-20 mm. Adults are on wing from July to October and (after overwintering) in spring.
The larvae feed on Serratula tinctoria
species. They initially mine
the leaves of their host plant. The mine has the form of a short, gradually widening, brown, corridor. There is a small, lower-surface hole which is lined with silk found at the beginning of the mine. This hole is used to eject the frass
out of the mine. Older larvae vacate their mines and live freely in a spinning under a leaf. Finally, they spin a leaf into a pod. Larvae can be found from late May to June. They are pale green with a black head.
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
of the Oecophoridae
Oecophoridae
Oecophoridae is a family of small moths in the superfamily Gelechioidea. The phylogeny and systematics of gelechoid moths are still not fully resolved, and the circumscription of the Oecophoridae is strongly affected by this....
family. It is found in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is 15-20 mm. Adults are on wing from July to October and (after overwintering) in spring.
The larvae feed on Serratula tinctoria
Serratula tinctoria
Serratula tinctoria, commonly known as Saw-wort, is a species in the genus Serratula. It is a native of Europe. It grows in moist soil, full sun to part shade, and grows up to one meter tall....
species. They initially mine
Leaf miner
Leaf miner is a term used to describe the larvae of many different species of insect which live in and eat the leaf tissue of plants. The vast majority of leaf-mining insects are moths , sawflies and flies , though some beetles and wasps also exhibit this behavior.Like Woodboring beetles, leaf...
the leaves of their host plant. The mine has the form of a short, gradually widening, brown, corridor. There is a small, lower-surface hole which is lined with silk found at the beginning of the mine. This hole is used to eject the frass
Frass
Frass is the fine powdery material phytophagous insects pass as waste after digesting plant parts. It causes plants to excrete chitinase due to high chitin levels, it is a natural bloom stimulant, and has high nutrient levels. Frass is known to have abundant amoeba, beneficial bacteria, and fungi...
out of the mine. Older larvae vacate their mines and live freely in a spinning under a leaf. Finally, they spin a leaf into a pod. Larvae can be found from late May to June. They are pale green with a black head.