Nematopogon swammerdamella
Encyclopedia
Nematopogon swammerdamella is a moth
of the family Adelidae
.
. The wingspan
is 17–21 mm. The moth flies from late April to June. The moth is only active in the late afternoon and dusk. Nematopogon schwarziellus, Nematopogon pilella, and Nematopogon metaxella
are similar to this species.
, Iceland
and Ukraine
. It can commonly be found throughout the British Isles
in woodland. The species has also been known to live in hedgerows, moorland
, heathland, and other open habitats. It is hard to find the moth in Suffolk
.
s feed on decaying plant matter and various herbaceous plant
s. Older caterpillars lives in a bivalved case on the ground. They hibernate twice and pupa
te inside the case.
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 family Adelidae
Adelidae
| name = Fairy longhorn moths| image=Unidentified animal 007 .jpg| image_width = 240px| image_caption= Adult of an unidentified fairy longhorn mothfrom Chemnitz | regnum = Animalia| phylum = Arthropoda...
.
Description
The moth has ochreous wings and long antennaeAntenna (biology)
Antennae in biology have historically been paired appendages used for sensing in arthropods. More recently, the term has also been applied to cilium structures present in most cell types of eukaryotes....
. 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 17–21 mm. The moth flies from late April to June. The moth is only active in the late afternoon and dusk. Nematopogon schwarziellus, Nematopogon pilella, and Nematopogon metaxella
Nematopogon metaxella
Nematopogon metaxella is a moth of the Adelidae family. It is found in most of Europe.The wingspan is 15–17 mm. Adults are on wing from June to July.The larvae feed in a case among detritus and leaf-litter on the ground.-External links:* *...
are similar to this species.
Habitat and range
It is found throughout most of Europe, except the Balkan Peninsula, GreeceGreece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
and Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. It can commonly be found throughout the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
in woodland. The species has also been known to live in hedgerows, moorland
Moorland
Moorland or moor is a type of habitat, in the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome, found in upland areas, characterised by low-growing vegetation on acidic soils and heavy fog...
, heathland, and other open habitats. It is hard to find the moth in Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
.
Caterpillars
The caterpillarCaterpillar
Caterpillars are the larval form of members of the order Lepidoptera . They are mostly herbivorous in food habit, although some species are insectivorous. Caterpillars are voracious feeders and many of them are considered to be pests in agriculture...
s feed on decaying plant matter and various herbaceous plant
Herbaceous plant
A herbaceous plant is a plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of the growing season to the soil level. They have no persistent woody stem above ground...
s. Older caterpillars lives in a bivalved case on the ground. They hibernate twice and pupa
Pupa
A pupa is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation. The pupal stage is found only in holometabolous insects, those that undergo a complete metamorphosis, going through four life stages; embryo, larva, pupa and imago...
te inside the case.