Eriocraniidae

Eriocraniidae
Eriocrania semipurpurella
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Suborder:	Glossata
Infraorder:	Dacnonypha Hinton, 1946 sensu Minet, 2002[1]
Superfamily:	Eriocranioidea
Family:	Eriocraniidae Rebel, 1901
Genera
Dyseriocrania Eriocrania Eriocraniella Issikiocrania Neocrania †Eriocranites Kernbach, 1967
Diversity
25 described species

Eriocraniidae is a family of moths restricted to the Holarctic region, with six extant genera.^[2][3] These small, metallic moths are usually day-flying, emerging fairly early in the northern temperate spring. They have a proboscis with which they drink water or sap. The larvae are leaf miners on Fagales, principally the trees birch (Betula) and oak (Quercus), but a few on Salicales and Rosales.^[4]

Characteristics

Moths in this family are diurnal, flying in the spring at dawn, and in sunshine, sometimes in swarms around host trees. They sometimes come to light and also rest on twigs and branches. By tapping branches over a beating tray, they fall and remain motionless. The moths are small with a forewing length of 4–7 mm. Forewings marking are shining pale golden or purple and often mottled. The purple moths can be difficult to tell apart with certainty and may require genitalia examination. The female moth has a piercing ovipositor and the almost colourless eggs are laid in the parenchyma of a leaf or in a leaf bud. The white or grey larvae form large blotches in the leaves containing intertwining strands of frass. Pupa are decticous in a tough, silken cocoon in the soil.^[5][6]

Etymology

Eriocrania means woolly-headed, from the Greek, erion – wool and kranion – upper part of the head.^[7][8]

References

External links

• Tree of Life Archived 19 December 2012 at the Wayback Machine
• Generic Names and their Type-species^{[permanent dead link]}
• British moth Leaf Mines
• Watson, L., and Dallwitz, M.J. 2003 onwards. British insects: the families of Lepidoptera. Version: 29 December 2011 Detailed description and figures including wing venation. Archived 24 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine