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Recent Publications
- The Nepticulidae and Opostegidae (Lepidoptera) of North West Europe
- Introduction to the Nepticulidae
- Stigmella aurella (F.) and Stigmella splendidissimella (H.S.) (Lep., Nepticulidae) - a method of distinguishing mines on Rubus
- The Ando-Patagonian Stigmella magnispinella group (Lepidoptera, Nepticulidae) with description of new species from Ecuador, Peru and Argentina
- Die Lepidopterenfauna von Herkulesbad und Orsova. Eine zoogeographische Studie
- Influences of leaf-mining insects on their host plants: A review
Nepticuloidea
Trifurcula anthyllidella Klimesch, 1975
Trifurcula anthyllidella
Diagnostic description:Diagnosis. Trifurcula anthyllidella is by far the largest species of Levarchama, externally resembling other large and pale Trifurcula species, in Spain it can be confused with T. (T.) pallidella Zeller, 1848, T. (T.) immundella (Zeller, 1939), T. calycotomella A. & Z. Laštůvka, 1997 and with some as yet undescribed species. None of these has the conspicuous irroration of anthyllidella, nor the hairpencil on the hindwing underside. Some other large pale species have patches of yellow scaling on underside forewing (T. luteola Nieukerken, 1990 and T. victoris Nieukerken, 1990). Females are easily separated by the distinct pointed ovipositor. Male genitalia well recognisable by incurved outer margin of valva, inner lobe of valva and pointed gnathos; female genitalia by narrow truncate T8 and pointed S7.
Morphology:Description. Male. Forewing length 2.9-3.65 mm; wingspan ca. 5.6-7.4 mm. Head: frontal tuft white, occasionally mixed with grey-brown, collar white, comprising piliform scales; scape white with some grey-brown tipped scales. Antennae with 37-44 segments. Thorax and forewings uniform white, irrorate with a variable amount of grey-brown tipped scales, giving the whole wing a greysih appearance; underside dark grey-brown. Hindwing white, underside with velvet patch of raised scales; a long white hairpencil arising near frenulum, inserting under forewing costal fold. Abdomen grey-white, anal tufts white.
Female. Forewing length 2.8-3.3 mm, wingspan ca. 5.6-7.1 mm. Antennae with 32-38 segments. Hindwing without velvet patch, abdomen without tufts, ovipositor distinctly pointed; otherwise as male.
Male genitalia. Capsule longer than wide. Vinculum hardly excavated anteriorly. Tegumen produced into pointed pseuduncus. Uncus split lengthwise, pointed. Gnathos with central element with a sharp central pointed tip. Valva rather narrow, outer margin distinctly incurved in middle, with narrow conspicuous inner process on ventral surface; sublateral process long, transverse bar of transtilla relatively long. Aedeagus elongate; vesica with group of long needle like cornuti at anterior right hand side; two large curved cornuti and semi globular group of close set curved cornuti at left side, also some minute cornuti; aedeagus dorsal side distally ending with rounded sclerotized lobe with serrate margin at right side. Female genitalia. Abdominal tip distinctly pointed. S7 particularly distinctly produced into cuspidate tip, ventrally covered with many setae. T8 narrow, truncate at tip, longitudinally split, with ca. 11-12 setae at either side of medial division line and a row of ca. 7 short setae along distal margin. No distinct anal papillae. Anterior and posterior apophyses pronounced, of subequal length. Bursa total length ca. 1020 μm. Vestibulum with two indistinct sclerotizations and group of pectinations. Corpus bursae elongate, suddenly narrowed anteriorly; signa subequal in length, ca. 420-440 μm; 3-4 cells wide, outer margin with spiny margins. Ductus spermathecae convoluted almost from start, ca. 10 convolutions ending in elongate vesicle.Associations:Hostplant: Anthyllis cytisoides and A. terniflora, small shrubs growing in garigue vegetations on limestone hills. Egg deposited on leaf underside. Leafmine starting as narrow, relatively straight, gallery with thin broken frass, later frass filling most of gallery, and gallery suddenly enlarging into elongate blotch; mine usually starting along leaf margin, later doubling back. Larval exit hole on leaf under- or upperside. Larva yellow, feeding with venter upwards.
Distribution:Distribution. Spain: Mallorca and along the East and south coast from Cadiz to Gerona on limestone, up into the mountains (NIEUKERKEN et al. 2004a).
Life cycle:Larvae found almost throughout the year, adults found from March to August, with expanded period of emergence.
Citation:This taxonomic description is based on Van Nieukerken (2007).