Dahlica triquetrella
Encyclopedia
Dahlica triquetrella is a moth
of the Psychidae family. It is found in Europe
and North America
.
The wingspan
is 9-13 mm for males. Females are wingless. Though winged males occur in some sites in Europe, only the parthenogenetic wingless female form of Dahlica triquetrella has been recorded in Britain. The adult lives a very short time.
The larvae feed on lichen and algae on trunks, rocks and old walls. This diet has to be supplemented by dead insects for development to be successful. The larva is active as the snow melts in Europe.
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 Psychidae family. It is found in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
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 9-13 mm for males. Females are wingless. Though winged males occur in some sites in Europe, only the parthenogenetic wingless female form of Dahlica triquetrella has been recorded in Britain. The adult lives a very short time.
The larvae feed on lichen and algae on trunks, rocks and old walls. This diet has to be supplemented by dead insects for development to be successful. The larva is active as the snow melts in Europe.