''Calybites phasianipennella'' 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

Gracillariidae Gracillariidae is an important family of insects in the order Lepidoptera and the principal family of leaf miners that includes several economic, horticultural or recently invasive pest species such as the horse-chestnut leaf miner, ''Camerar ...

. It is known from all of

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 ...

and most of

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

. 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 ...

is 10–11 mm. The forewings are dark fuscous ; three costal spots at 1/3, and 3/4 before apex, and two dorsal spots at 1/4 and 1/2 ochreous-whitish, more or less dark-margined, often very indistinct. Hindwings rather dark grey.The larva is greenish -grey ; dorsal line darker;head yellowish, black-spotted ; segment 2 with yellowish plate and four black spots. Adults are on wing in September and overwinters as an adult, after which it can be found to April or May. The

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. ...

e feed on '' Chenopodium hybridum'', ''

Fallopia aubertii ''Fallopia aubertii'' ( syn. ''Polygonum aubertii'') is a species of flowering plant in the knotweed family Polygonaceae The Polygonaceae are a family of flowering plants known informally as the knotweed family or smartweed—buckwheat family ...

'', ''

Fallopia convolvulus ''Fallopia convolvulus'', the black-bindweed or wild buckwheat, is a fast-growing annual flowering plant in the family Polygonaceae native throughout Europe, Asia and northern Africa.Flora of NW Europe''Fallopia convolvulus''/ref>Flora of China ...

'', ''

Lysimachia vulgaris ''Lysimachia vulgaris'', the yellow loosestrife or garden loosestrife, is a species of herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the family Primulaceae. It was transferred to Myrsinoideae based on results of molecular phylogenetic research bef ...

'', ''

Lythrum salicaria ''Lythrum salicaria'' or purple loosestrifeFlora of NW Europe''Lythrum salicaria'' is a flowering plant belonging to the family Lythraceae. It should not be confused with other plants sharing the name loosestrife that are members of the family Pr ...

'', '' Oxyria digyna'', '' Persicaria amphibia'', '' Persicaria hydropiper'', '' Persicaria lapathifolia'', ''

Persicaria maculosa ''Persicaria maculosa'' (syn. ''Polygonum persicaria'') is an annual plant in the buckwheat family, Polygonaceae. Common names include lady's thumb, spotted lady's thumb, Jesusplant, and redshank. It is widespread across Eurasia from Iceland sout ...

'', common sorrel ('' Rumex acetosa''), sheep's sorrel (''

Rumex acetosella ''Rumex acetosella'', commonly known as red sorrel, sheep's sorrel, field sorrel and sour weed, is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family Polygonaceae. Native to Eurasia and the British Isles, the plant and its subspecies are commo ...

''), '' Rumex aquaticus'', ''

Rumex hydrolapathum ''Rumex hydrolapathum'', the great water dock, water dock, or giant water dock, is a species of perennial herbaceous plants in the genus ''Rumex'' native to fens and freshwater banks of Europe and Western Asia. It is the tallest species in the g ...

'' and '' Rumex obtusifolius''. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine starts as an epidermal corridor, later it becomes a pale and later brown, usually lower-surface blotch that may obliterate the initial corridor. The silk at the inside of the mine causes it to buckle and fold. 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 a corner of the mine. Older larvae leave the mine and continue feeding inside a cone, made by cutting off a strip of leaf tissue and binding it with silk.

References

External links

Lepiforum.de
Gracillariinae Moths described in 1813 Moths of Asia Moths of Europe Taxa named by Jacob Hübner {{Gracillariinae-stub