Cosmopterix astrapias
Encyclopedia
Cosmopterix astrapias is a moth
of the Cosmopterigidae
family. It is known from the United States
(from Massachusetts
and northwest Arkansas
south to southern Florida
, southern Texas
and southern Arizona
), Argentina
(Salta, Tucumán), Costa Rica
, Jamaica
, Mexico
(Tabasco) and Puerto Rico
.
Male, female. Forewing length 3.5-3.8 mm. Head: frons shining greyish white with greenish reflection, vertex and neck tufts shining bronze brown, laterally lined white, collar shining bronze brown; labial palpus first segment very short, white, second segment four-fifths of the length of third, dark brown with white longitudinal lines laterally and ventrally in apical part, third segment white, lined brown laterally, extreme apex white; scape dorsally shining dark brown with a white anterior line, ventrally shining white, antenna shining dark brown with a white line from base to one-third, changing into an interrupted line to two-thirds, followed towards apex by six dark brown, one white, one blackish white, four white, ten dark brown and seven white segments at apex, the white subapical ring of four segments can be narrowed by a few (partly) brown scales (or widened to six segments and sometimes even followed by a narrow white ring of two segments), the white apex can be reduced by up to three white segments. Thorax and tegulae shining bronze brown, thorax often with a posterior white spot. Legs: shining dark greyish brown, foreleg with a white line on tibia and first three tarsal segments, fifth segment white, femora of midleg and hindleg shining pale ochreous-grey, tibia of midleg with white oblique basal and medial lines and a white apical ring, tarsal segments one and two with white longitudinal lines, segment five white, tibia of hindleg as midleg, tarsal segment three with a white longitudinal line, segments four and five white, spurs white dorsally, brown ventrally. Forewing shining dark brown with reddish gloss, six narrow white lines in the basal area, a first subcostal, from base to one-quarter and bending from costa in distal half, an indistinct short second subcostal between the first subcostal and the transverse fascia, a medial just above fold, from beyond base to one-third, a subdorsal from one-sixth to end of the medial, a short rather thick, oblique line above dorsum near base and a very short dorsal from one-seventh to one-fifth, there is variation in the length and thickness of the white lines in the basal area of the forewing, the length of the first subcostal line varies from one-quarter to one third of wing length, the medial varies from short in the middle of the area to starting just beyond base almost to the transverse fascia, this line is sometimes interrupted in the middle, the dorsal line varies from a complete line to just a few white scales, a bright orange-yellow transverse fascia beyond the middle with a short apical protrusion, bordered at the inner edge by a tubercular pale golden metallic fascia with reddish gloss, not reaching costa, bordered at the outer edge by two tubercular pale golden metallic costal and dorsal spots, the dorsal spot about three times as large as the costal, a small subcostal patch of blackish scales on outside of the pale golden metallic fascia, both pale golden metallic spots lined dark brown on the inside, the width of the transverse fascia and the shape of the bordering tubercular fascia and spots are variable, a shining white apical line, starting well beyond the apical protrusion, cilia dark brown. Hindwing shining dark greyish brown, cilia dark brown. Underside: forewing shining dark greyish brown, hindwing dark greyish brown, a broad greyish white streak on dorsum from base to one-half. Abdomen dorsally shining dark bronze brown with some greenish and reddish reflections, segments four to seven banded greyish white posteriorly, ventrally shining white or shining dark greyish brown, segments banded shining greyish white posteriorly and with a broad shining yellowish white longitudinal streak, anal tuft brownish grey, mixed whitish to dark brown.
species, including Ipomoea neei in Costa Rica. They mine
the leaves of their host plant. Adults have been collected throughout the year. Probably the species has several overlapping generations in tropical areas and is double brooded in the northern part of its range.
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 Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
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 southern 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...
, southern Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and southern Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
), Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
(Salta, Tucumán), Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
(Tabasco) and Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
.
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 3.5-3.8 mm. Head: frons shining greyish white with greenish reflection, vertex and neck tufts shining bronze brown, laterally lined white, collar shining bronze brown; labial palpus first segment very short, white, second segment four-fifths of the length of third, dark brown with white longitudinal lines laterally and ventrally in apical part, third segment white, lined brown laterally, extreme apex white; scape dorsally shining dark brown with a white anterior line, ventrally shining white, antenna shining dark brown with a white line from base to one-third, changing into an interrupted line to two-thirds, followed towards apex by six dark brown, one white, one blackish white, four white, ten dark brown and seven white segments at apex, the white subapical ring of four segments can be narrowed by a few (partly) brown scales (or widened to six segments and sometimes even followed by a narrow white ring of two segments), the white apex can be reduced by up to three white segments. Thorax and tegulae shining bronze brown, thorax often with a posterior white spot. Legs: shining dark greyish brown, foreleg with a white line on tibia and first three tarsal segments, fifth segment white, femora of midleg and hindleg shining pale ochreous-grey, tibia of midleg with white oblique basal and medial lines and a white apical ring, tarsal segments one and two with white longitudinal lines, segment five white, tibia of hindleg as midleg, tarsal segment three with a white longitudinal line, segments four and five white, spurs white dorsally, brown ventrally. Forewing shining dark brown with reddish gloss, six narrow white lines in the basal area, a first subcostal, from base to one-quarter and bending from costa in distal half, an indistinct short second subcostal between the first subcostal and the transverse fascia, a medial just above fold, from beyond base to one-third, a subdorsal from one-sixth to end of the medial, a short rather thick, oblique line above dorsum near base and a very short dorsal from one-seventh to one-fifth, there is variation in the length and thickness of the white lines in the basal area of the forewing, the length of the first subcostal line varies from one-quarter to one third of wing length, the medial varies from short in the middle of the area to starting just beyond base almost to the transverse fascia, this line is sometimes interrupted in the middle, the dorsal line varies from a complete line to just a few white scales, a bright orange-yellow transverse fascia beyond the middle with a short apical protrusion, bordered at the inner edge by a tubercular pale golden metallic fascia with reddish gloss, not reaching costa, bordered at the outer edge by two tubercular pale golden metallic costal and dorsal spots, the dorsal spot about three times as large as the costal, a small subcostal patch of blackish scales on outside of the pale golden metallic fascia, both pale golden metallic spots lined dark brown on the inside, the width of the transverse fascia and the shape of the bordering tubercular fascia and spots are variable, a shining white apical line, starting well beyond the apical protrusion, cilia dark brown. Hindwing shining dark greyish brown, cilia dark brown. Underside: forewing shining dark greyish brown, hindwing dark greyish brown, a broad greyish white streak on dorsum from base to one-half. Abdomen dorsally shining dark bronze brown with some greenish and reddish reflections, segments four to seven banded greyish white posteriorly, ventrally shining white or shining dark greyish brown, segments banded shining greyish white posteriorly and with a broad shining yellowish white longitudinal streak, anal tuft brownish grey, mixed whitish to dark brown.
Biology
The larvae feed on IpomoeaIpomoea
Ipomoea is the largest genus in the flowering plant family Convolvulaceae, with over 500 species. Most of these are called "morning glories", but this can refer to related genera also. Those formerly separated in Calonyction are called "moonflowers"...
species, including Ipomoea neei in Costa Rica. They 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. Adults have been collected throughout the year. Probably the species has several overlapping generations in tropical areas and is double brooded in the northern part of its range.