''Alabonia geoffrella'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriat ...

of gelechioid moth. Here, it is placed within the

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classifica ...

Oecophorinae __NOTOC__ The Oecophorinae are the nominate subfamily of moths in the concealer moth family (Oecophoridae). They are part of the insufficiently studied superfamily Gelechioidea, and like their relatives, the circumscription of this taxon is dispu ...

of the

concealer moth Oecophoridae (concealer moths) is a family of small moths in the superfamily Gelechioidea. The phylogeny and systematics of gelechoid moths are still not fully resolved, and the circumscription of the Oecophoridae is strongly affected by this. ...

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

(Oecophoridae). Alternatively it has been placed in the Elachistidae or

Depressariinae __NOTOC__ The Depressariinae – sometimes spelled "Depressiinae" in error – are a subfamily of moths in the superfamily Gelechioidea. Like their relatives therein, their exact relationships are not yet very well resolved. It has been co ...

together with its presumed closest relatives.

Description

The adults fly from May to June depending on the location. 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 o ...

of this day-flying (or diurnal)

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 ...

is 17–21 mm, and it is quite colorful, with a light to dark rusty-red background, bold white markings and a more delicate metallic-blue pattern. The

labial palp The term ''labial'' originates from '' Labium'' (Latin for "lip"), and is the adjective that describes anything of or related to lips, such as lip-like structures. Thus, it may refer to: * the lips ** In linguistics, a labial consonant ** In zoolo ...

s are conspicuously enlarged. Meyrick describes it - Head and thorax are yellow, with a central dark fuscous stripe. Forewings yellow, posteriorly becoming deeper and suffused with dark fuscous,especially on veins ; a bluish-silvery blackish-edged streak from base above middle to 2/5, thence bent down to join a similar straight subdorsal streak from base above middle of dorsum ; a bluish-silvery blackish-edged transverse streak from costa before middle to disc; a large whitish -yellow dark -edged triangular spot on costa at 2/3, and another before tornus. Hindwings dark fuscous. The

caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder Sy ...

s feed on rotting wood; mostly living under tree bark, they have also been found inside dead branches of common hazel (''Corylus avellana'') and blackberries (''

Rubus ''Rubus'' is a large and diverse genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, subfamily Rosoideae, with over 1,350 species. Raspberries, blackberries, and dewberries are common, widely distributed members of the genus. Most of the ...

'' subgenus ''Rubus'' section ''Rubus'').Grabe (1942), Kimber

010 010 may refer to: * 10 (number) * 8 (number) in octal numeral notation * Motorola 68010, a microprocessor released by Motorola in 1982 * 010, the telephone area code of Beijing * 010, the Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the R ...

/ref>

Distribution and habitat

''Alabonia geoffrella'' is found in

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 ...

, where it is not rare in many

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the '' plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (see ...

s and

marshland A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found at ...

Footnotes

References

* (1942): Eigenartige Geschmacksrichtungen bei Kleinschmetterlingsraupen Strange tastes among micromoth caterpillars" ''Zeitschrift des Wiener Entomologen-Vereins'' 27: 105-109 n Germanbr>PDF fulltext
*

UKMoths &ndash
''Alabonia geoffrella''
Retrieved 2010-APR-27. * (2004)
Butterflies and Moths of the World, Generic Names and their Type-species
&ndash
''Alabonia''
Version of 2004-NOV-05. Retrieved 2010-APR-27. * (2001): Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and some other life forms &ndash

Version of 2001-NOV-07. Retrieved 2010-APR-27.

External links

''Alabonia geoffrella'' on UKmothsLepiforum.de
Oecophorinae Moths of Europe Moths described in 1767 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{Oecophoridae-stub