Pyroderces argyrogrammos

• Subfamily: Cosmopteriginae
• Wingspan: 11-17 mm
• Flight period: Apr - Sep
• Spread: Uncommon
• Host plants: Asteraceae

Information

The Pyroderces argyrogrammos is a small moth of the Cosmopterigidae family, with a wingspan of 11-17 mm.
It is present in most of Europe, with the exception of the United Kingdom and Ireland, the Benelux, the Scandinavian Peninsula, the Baltic countries and the central area of ​​the Balkans. In Italy it is also present in the islands. *
It was also recorded in the Channel Islands **

The thorax is orange brown with a thin white medial line. The front wing is orange-brown, with various white bands and white spots, quite variable in the various specimens that create a sort of reticulate. All the bands and white spots are more or less bordered with blackish scales; le cilia gray mixed orange. Brown near the termen, lighter towards the tips. The rear wing is gray, with gray cilia. All wings are heavily feathered. The palps are very pronounced.

The Pyroderces argyrogrammos is bivoltine, the adults are visible from the end of April to the end of September. A third generation can occur in the warm seasons. The species occupies dry environments. The larvae develop in the heads of the seeds, the nymphosis and wintering also take place in the heads, in a light cocoon. The seed heads remain closed, which makes them conspicuous especially in winter. ***

The larvae are oligophages and feed on various Asteraceae such as Carduus; Carlina corymbosa, gummifera; Carthamus lanatus, tinctorius; Centaurea aspera, benedicta, calcitrapa, sphaerocephala, stoebe; Cynara cardunculus, humilis; Klasea baetica, integrifolia; Onopordum acanthium; Picnomon acarna; Scolymus hispanicus. ***


* Lepidoptera mundi https://lepidoptera.eu/ - Fauna Europea https://fauna-eu.org/
** Sterling, Philip & Koster, Sjaak (J.) & Costen, Peter. (2004). Pyroderces argyrogrammos (Zeller, 1847) (Lepidoptera: Cosmopterigidae) new to the Channel Islands. Entomologist's Gazette. 55. 161-165.
*** Plant Parasites of Europe, leafminers, galls and fungi - https://bladmineerders.nl/