''Anacampsis populella'' is a
moth
Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...
of the family
Gelechiidae
The Gelechiidae are 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 family's taxonomy has been subject to considerable dis ...
, which is native to
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
and has been accidentally introduced to North America. It was first described in 1759 by
Carl Alexander Clerck
Carl Alexander Clerck (1709 – 22 July 1765) was a Sweden, Swedish entomologist and arachnology, arachnologist.
Clerck came from a family in the petty Swedish nobility, nobility and entered the University of Uppsala in 1726. Little is known of hi ...
, a
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
entomologist
Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as arach ...
. The
type specimen
In biology, a type is a particular wiktionary:en:specimen, specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached. In other words, a type is an example that serves to a ...
is from Sweden. The foodplants of the larvae are poplars (''
Populus
''Populus'' is a genus of 25–30 species of deciduous flowering plants in the family Salicaceae, native to most of the Northern Hemisphere. English names variously applied to different species include poplar (), aspen, and cottonwood.
The we ...
'' species) and willows (''
Salix
Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist so ...
'' species).
Life cycle
The
wingspan
The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan of ...
is 14–19 mm, the colours are variable and the sexes are similar. Abdomen with segments 2-4 often ochreous-yellow. Forewings are whitish, more or less irrorated with black or dark grey, usually palest towards base of costa; costal edge sometimes yellowish-tinged; sometimes a large black patch occupying dorsal 2/3 from base to near tornus stigmata blackish, often concealed ; a whitish obtusely angulated fascia at 3/4 , indented above angle, sometimes indistinct terminal black dots. Hindwings over 1, rather dark grey. The larva is pale grey-greenish or yellowish ; dots black ; head and plate of 2 black.
They are on wing from June to September, depending on the location, and can be found on tree trunks, dislodged from foliage or swept from creeping willow (''
Salix repens
''Salix repens'', the creeping willow, is a small, shrubby species of willow in the family Salicaceae, growing up to 1.5metres in height. Found amongst sand dunes and heathlands, it is a polymorphic species, with a wide range of variants. In ...
''). They also come to
light
Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that can be perceived by the human eye. Visible light is usually defined as having wavelengths in the range of 400–700 nanometres (nm), corresponding to frequencies of 750–420 tera ...
. A similar species,
''A. blattariella'' is also a variable species and can only be told apart from ''A. populella'' by genitalia dissection.
Ovum
Eggs are laid on various species of poplar including aspen (''
Populus tremula
''Populus tremula'' (commonly called aspen, common aspen, Eurasian aspen, European aspen, or quaking aspen) is a species of poplar native to cool temperate regions of Europe and Asia, from Iceland and the British IslesJames KilkellIrish native ...
'') and willows, such as goat willow (''
Salix caprea
''Salix caprea'', known as goat willow, pussy willow or great sallow, is a common species of willow native to Europe and western and central Asia.Meikle, R. D. (1984). ''Willows and Poplars of Great Britain and Ireland''. BSBI Handbook 4. .
Des ...
'') and white willow (''
Salix alba
''Salix alba'', the white willow, is a species of willow native to Europe and western and central Asia.Meikle, R. D. (1984). ''Willows and Poplars of Great Britain and Ireland''. BSBI Handbook No. 4. .Rushforth, K. (1999). ''Trees of Britain an ...
'').
[
]
Larva
Larvae can be found from mid-April to June. The head and divided prothoracic
The prothorax is the foremost of the three segments in the thorax of an insect, and bears the first pair of legs. Its principal sclerites (exoskeletal plates) are the pronotum (dorsal), the prosternum (ventral), and the propleuron (lateral) on ea ...
plate are black and the body is greyish green with round black pinacula which are easily seen, while the anal plate is brownish. The larva rolls a leaf into a tube, held together with silken strands which can be seen on the edges of the roll. On creeping willow, due to their small size several leaves are spun around the central shoot, starting a short distance below the tip and working upwards.
Pupa
Pupation takes place in a cocoon within a rolled leaf of the foodplant.[
]
Distribution
The moth is found in most of Europe and has been accidentally introduced to North America.[
]
References
External links
Lepidoptera of Belgium
Microlepidoptera.nl
UK Moths
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1993817
Anacampsis
Moths described in 1759
Moths of Europe
Moths of North America
Taxa named by Carl Alexander Clerck