''Bucculatrix argentisignella'' 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 ...

species in the family Bucculatricidae. It was first described by

Gottlieb August Wilhelm Herrich-Schäffer Gottlieb August Wilhelm Herrich-Schäffer (17 December 1799 – 14 April 1874) was a German entomologist and physician. He was born, and died, in Regensburg. Herrich-Schäffer studied and collected particularly butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera). ...

in 1855 and is found in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

and in disjunct populations in Central, Eastern and Northern

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 subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

. Adults exhibit

sexual dimorphism Sexual dimorphism is the condition where the sexes of the same animal and/or plant species exhibit different morphological characteristics, particularly characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most an ...

. Males have uniform grey wings, lacking the four silvery spots on the forewings. The larvae feed on '' Leucanthemum vulgare''. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine starts as a narrow, upper- or lower-surface gallery. Later, the gallery widens, becoming full-depth. The

frass Frass refers loosely to the more or less solid excreta of insects, and to certain other related matter. Definition and etymology ''Frass'' is an informal term and accordingly it is variously used and variously defined. It is derived from the ...

is deposited in the center of the corridor. Larvae sometimes leave the mine and continue elsewhere. Pupation takes place outside of the mine. Larvae can be found from May to June and again in July.

References

Natural History Museum Lepidoptera generic names catalog
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External links

Images representing ''Bucculatrix argentisignella''
at

Consortium for the Barcode of Life The Consortium for the Barcode of Life (CBOL) was an international initiative dedicated to supporting the development of DNA barcoding as a global standard for species identification. CBOL's Secretariat Office is hosted by the National Museum of ...

Moths described in 1855 Bucculatricidae Taxa named by Gottlieb August Wilhelm Herrich-Schäffer Moths of Europe Leaf miners {{Gracillarioidea-stub