Adela croesella

• Subfamily: Adelinae
• Wingspan: 11-14 mm
• Flight period: May - Jun
• Spread: Common
• Host plants: Elaeagnaceae - Oleaceae

Information

The Adela croesella is a small moth of the Adelidae family with a wingspan of 11-14 mm. It is known in most of Europe, even if there are no documents from some Balkan states, in Italy it is not present in Sardinia *

The front wings shine in a dark purple, more or less suffusedly streaked between the veins with golden ocher; a straight band of intense yellow color near the center, narrower near the costa, it is bordered by a thin purple band. The fringed edge is purplish gray, with metallic reflections. The hind wings are purplish gray with metallic flashes, the edge turns out to be fringed. The head is of a golden ocher color.

The sexual dimorphism is given by the antennae which in the male are up to about half of the length thicker and black, the remainder is white. In the females the thickness is constant and the black color is present only near the head and quickly fades into the white color which remains so up to the apex. Adults are in flight from May to June.

Initially, the larvae probably feed on Hippophae rhamnoides or Ligustrum vulgare flowers. Older larvae build a portable case with leaf fragments and soil particles and feed on fallen leaves**.


* Lepidoptera mundi https://lepidoptera.eu/ - Fauna Europea https://fauna-eu.org/
** Guide to the moths of Great Britain and Ireland https://ukmoths.org.uk/