Mirificarma cytisella
Encyclopedia
Mirificarma cytisella is a moth
of the Gelechiidae
family. It is found in most of Europe
, except Ireland
, Great Britain
, Fennoscandia
, the Baltic region
and part of the Balkan Peninsula.
The wingspan
is 6-8 mm for males and 6-7.5 mm for females. The head is white to cream. The forewings are white to cream, mottled, sometimes sparsely, with brown scales. Adults are on wing from April to September.
The larvae feed on Cytisus nigricans, Genista
, Calicotome spinosa
, Ononis spinosa
and possibly Laburnum anagyroides
. They feed mostly from within two or three spun leaves, but sometimes the larva spins two leaves upon each other and partially mines
them, resulting in a fleck type mine. Larvae can be found in June, September and October.
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 Gelechiidae
Gelechiidae
Gelechiidae is a family of moths commonly referred to as twirler moths or gelechiid moths. They are the namesake family of the huge and little-studied superfamily Gelechioidea, and the Gelechiidae's relationships with and delimitation against their relatives have been subject to considerable...
family. It is found in most of 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...
, except Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, 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...
, Fennoscandia
Fennoscandia
Fennoscandia and Fenno-Scandinavia are geographic and geological terms used to describe the Scandinavian Peninsula, the Kola Peninsula, Karelia and Finland...
, the Baltic region
Baltic region
The terms Baltic region, Baltic Rim countries, and Baltic Rim refer to slightly different combinations of countries in the general area surrounding the Baltic Sea.- Etymology :...
and part of the Balkan Peninsula.
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 6-8 mm for males and 6-7.5 mm for females. The head is white to cream. The forewings are white to cream, mottled, sometimes sparsely, with brown scales. Adults are on wing from April to September.
The larvae feed on Cytisus nigricans, Genista
Genista
Genista is a genus of legumes which includes many species of broom. Many of these brooms are notorious as noxious weeds.Species include:*Genista aetnensis - Mount Etna broom*Genista anglica - petty whin, needle furze*Genista canariensis...
, Calicotome spinosa
Calicotome spinosa
Calicotome spinosa is a very spiny, densely-branched shrub of the legume family Fabaceae which can reach up to three metres in height. It grows in the Western Mediterranean region on sunny slopes and dry, rocky ground. It is found in Spain, France, Italy, Croatia and Algeria and has been...
, Ononis spinosa
Ononis spinosa
Ononis spinosa is a plant belonging to the family Fabaceae, that is commonly known as spiny restharrow or just restharrow. It is found throughout much of Europe but seldom as far north as Scotland.-External links:*...
and possibly Laburnum anagyroides
Laburnum anagyroides
Laburnum anagyroides is a species of small deciduous trees or large shrubs up to 7 m tall in the genus Laburnum, native to Central and Southern Europe. It is a popular ornamental plant, along with the other species in the genus, L. alpinum, and especially the hybrid between them, L. × watereri. L...
. They feed mostly from within two or three spun leaves, but sometimes the larva spins two leaves upon each other and partially mines
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...
them, resulting in a fleck type mine. Larvae can be found in June, September and October.
Subspecies
- Mirificarma cytisella cytisella
- Mirificarma cytisella leonella Amsel, 1959 (Portugal)