Cosmopterix gemmiferella
Encyclopedia
Cosmopterix gemmiferella is a moth
of the Cosmopterigidae
family. It is known from the United States
(from Maine
, Illinois
and northwest Arkansas
south to central Florida
and southern Louisiana
) and Canada
(Ontario
).
Male, female. Forewing length 4.5-5.1 mm. Head: frons shining pale golden with greenish and purplish reflections, vertex, neck tufts and collar shining golden brown with greenish and reddish reflections; labial palpus first segment very short, white, second segment three-quarters of the length of third, dorsally golden brown ventrally ochreous-white, third segment white, laterally lined dark brown; scape dorsally brown, ventrally white, antenna shining dark brown with a white interrupted line from base to one-half, followed towards apex by approximately eleven dark brown segments, four white, two partly dark brown, two white, ten dark brown and eight white segments at apex. Thorax and tegulae shining golden brown, thorax with a greenish white median line, tegulae sometimes lined white inwardly. Legs: shining dark greyish brown with greenish and reddish reflections, femora shining ochreous, foreleg with a white line on tibia and tarsal segments one, two and five, tibia of midleg with shining white oblique basal and medial streaks and a shining white apical ring, tarsal segments one and two dorsal two-thirds white, segment five entirely white, tibia of hindleg as midleg, tarsal segments one, two and four with white apical rings, segment five entirely white, spurs shining dark greyish brown, outer spurs inwardly white. Forewing shining golden brown, more prominent in apical area, four short silvery lines in the basal area, a subcostal at one-sixth, bending from costa distally, a very short medial above fold just beyond the subcostal, a subdorsal below fold, similar in length to the medial, starting at the end of the medial, a dorsal from beyond base to one-sixth, a broad yellow transverse fascia beyond the middle, the costal half about twice as wide as the dorsal half, the dorsal half sometimes irrorated by dark brown scales, bordered at the inner edge by a pale golden metallic tubercular fascia, not reaching costa, bordered at the outer edge by two pale golden metallic tubercular costal and dorsal spots, the dorsal spot about twice the size of the costal and far more towards base, the fascia outwardly and both spots inwardly edged blackish brown, a broad white costal streak from the costal spot, the apical line reduced to a small silvery spot on dorsum in the middle of the apical area and a broad shining white streak in the cilia at apex; cilia brown, paler towards dorsum. Hindwing shining brownish grey with reddish gloss; cilia brown. Underside: forewing shining greyish brown, the white costal streak and the white streak at apex distinctly visible; hindwing shining greyish brown. Abdomen dorsally shining yellowish grey to golden brown, laterally shining grey with bluish and greenish reflections, ventrally shining dark grey, in middle shining white, segments banded shining white posteriorly, anal tuft shining greyish brown.
the leaves of their host plant. They mine a small basal leaf in the spring, eating out almost the entire substance of the leaf. Just before pupation, it enters one of the lower stem leaves, in which it makes a small inconspicuous mine, scarcely larger than the larva, but broadening at its anterior end towards the tip of the leaf, slightly inflated, and showing us a convexity on the upper surface of the leaf. Within this cavity, which is silk-lined, pupation takes place. Beyond the pupation chamber, the mines extends a short distance forwards, but is scarcely visible except at its end, where the epidermis is almost eaten through, permitting the emergence of the imago. Adults fly in June and July in the North, early April to June farther South.
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 Cosmopterigidae
Cosmopterigidae
Cosmopterigidae is a family of insects in the Lepidoptera order. These are small moths with narrow wings whose tiny larvae feed internally on the leaves, seeds, stems, etc of their host plants. There are about 1,500 described species...
family. It is known from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(from Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
and northwest Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
south to central Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
and southern Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
) and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
(Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
).
Description
- See glossaryGlossary of Lepidopteran termsThis glossary describes the terms used in the formal descriptions of insect species, jargon used mostly by professionals or entomologist....
for terms used
Male, female. Forewing length 4.5-5.1 mm. Head: frons shining pale golden with greenish and purplish reflections, vertex, neck tufts and collar shining golden brown with greenish and reddish reflections; labial palpus first segment very short, white, second segment three-quarters of the length of third, dorsally golden brown ventrally ochreous-white, third segment white, laterally lined dark brown; scape dorsally brown, ventrally white, antenna shining dark brown with a white interrupted line from base to one-half, followed towards apex by approximately eleven dark brown segments, four white, two partly dark brown, two white, ten dark brown and eight white segments at apex. Thorax and tegulae shining golden brown, thorax with a greenish white median line, tegulae sometimes lined white inwardly. Legs: shining dark greyish brown with greenish and reddish reflections, femora shining ochreous, foreleg with a white line on tibia and tarsal segments one, two and five, tibia of midleg with shining white oblique basal and medial streaks and a shining white apical ring, tarsal segments one and two dorsal two-thirds white, segment five entirely white, tibia of hindleg as midleg, tarsal segments one, two and four with white apical rings, segment five entirely white, spurs shining dark greyish brown, outer spurs inwardly white. Forewing shining golden brown, more prominent in apical area, four short silvery lines in the basal area, a subcostal at one-sixth, bending from costa distally, a very short medial above fold just beyond the subcostal, a subdorsal below fold, similar in length to the medial, starting at the end of the medial, a dorsal from beyond base to one-sixth, a broad yellow transverse fascia beyond the middle, the costal half about twice as wide as the dorsal half, the dorsal half sometimes irrorated by dark brown scales, bordered at the inner edge by a pale golden metallic tubercular fascia, not reaching costa, bordered at the outer edge by two pale golden metallic tubercular costal and dorsal spots, the dorsal spot about twice the size of the costal and far more towards base, the fascia outwardly and both spots inwardly edged blackish brown, a broad white costal streak from the costal spot, the apical line reduced to a small silvery spot on dorsum in the middle of the apical area and a broad shining white streak in the cilia at apex; cilia brown, paler towards dorsum. Hindwing shining brownish grey with reddish gloss; cilia brown. Underside: forewing shining greyish brown, the white costal streak and the white streak at apex distinctly visible; hindwing shining greyish brown. Abdomen dorsally shining yellowish grey to golden brown, laterally shining grey with bluish and greenish reflections, ventrally shining dark grey, in middle shining white, segments banded shining white posteriorly, anal tuft shining greyish brown.
Biology
The larvae feed on Dichanthelium dichotomum. They mineLeaf 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. They mine a small basal leaf in the spring, eating out almost the entire substance of the leaf. Just before pupation, it enters one of the lower stem leaves, in which it makes a small inconspicuous mine, scarcely larger than the larva, but broadening at its anterior end towards the tip of the leaf, slightly inflated, and showing us a convexity on the upper surface of the leaf. Within this cavity, which is silk-lined, pupation takes place. Beyond the pupation chamber, the mines extends a short distance forwards, but is scarcely visible except at its end, where the epidermis is almost eaten through, permitting the emergence of the imago. Adults fly in June and July in the North, early April to June farther South.