Coleophora cf. granulatella

• Subfamily:
• Wingspan: 11-13 mm
• Flight period: Jul - Sep (data not certain)
• Spread: Common
• Host plants: Artemisia campestris

Information

The Coleophora granulatella is a small moth of the Coleophoridae family, with a wingspan of 11-13 mm.
It is widespread throughout Europe with the exception of the United Kingdom, Portugal, Switzerland, Slovenia, Croatia and most of the Balkan Peninsula. In Italy it is absent from the islands. *
Also present in the Asian continent, it has recently been reported in North America, with documented reliefs in Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon, Arizona, Colorado, Michigan, Wyoming and Washington. **

The front wings have a light brown background color, with streaks ranging from hazelnut to ocher and crossing them lengthwise. An intense dusting, of black granular is visible along the entire length of the wing. The edges are strongly fringed. The hind wings are light brown also strongly fringed. The antennae are presented in dotted lines in the colors of the wings.

The certainty of the species is possible only with the dissection of the genitals, and therefore the cfr. is a must .

Based on the surveys made, it is assumed that adults are visible from July to September. ***
The habitats are the same as the host plant, open sites on dry sandy soils or in steppes and rocky slopes.

The larvae feed on the fruits of Artemisia campestris, in particular the subsp. maritima. They undermine the leaves of their host plant.


* Lepidoptera mundi https://lepidoptera.eu/ - Fauna Europea https://fauna-eu.org/
** Shared but overlooked: 30 species of Holarctic Microlepidoptera revealed by DNA barcodes and morphology https://www.biotaxa.org/
*** Coleophora granulatella https://laji.fi/en/taxon/MX.59583