''Coleophora saxicolella'' 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 Coleophoridae found in Asia and Europe.

Description

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 13–16 mm. Adults are on wing in July and August. ''Coleophora'' species have narrow blunt to pointed forewings and a weakly defined tornus. The hindwings are narrow-elongate and very long-fringed. The upper surfaces have neither a discal spot nor transverse lines. Each abdomen segment of the abdomen has paired patches of tiny spines which show through the scales. The resting position is horizontal with the front end raised and the cilia give the hind tip a frayed and upturned look if the wings are rolled around the body. ''C. saxicolella'' characteristics include forewing obscurely streaked, with pale costa. Streaks overlaid with scattered fuscous scales. Only reliably identified by dissection and microscopic examination of the genitalia. The larvae feed on '' Chenopodium'' and ''

Atriplex ''Atriplex'' () is a plant genus of about 250 species, known by the common names of saltbush and orache (; also spelled orach). It belongs to the subfamily Chenopodioideae of the family Amaranthaceae ''s.l.''. The genus is quite variable and w ...

'' species. They feed on the generative organs of their host plant and make a silken case of 6–7 mm. Pupation occurs in the case on the ground.

Distribution

It is found in most of the

Palearctic The Palearctic or Palaearctic is the largest of the eight biogeographic realms of the Earth. It stretches across all of Eurasia north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa. The realm consists of several bioregions: the Euro-Sibe ...

– Europe to central Asia.

References

External links

Bestimmungshilfe für die in Europa nachgewiesenen Schmetterlingsarten
saxicolella Moths described in 1843 Moths of Asia Moths of Europe Taxa named by Philogène Auguste Joseph Duponchel {{Coleophoridae-stub