Apodia bifractella

(Duponchel, 1843)

  • Subfamily: Anomologinae, Anomologini
  • Wingspan: 9-12 mm
  • Flight period: Jul - Aug
  • Spread: Common
  • Host plants: Asteraceae

Information

The Apodia bifractella is a moth of the Gelechiidae family, with a wingspan of 9-12 mm.
It is found in most of Europe, with the exception of Ireland, Norway, Denmark, Lithuania, Belarus, Slovenia and Croatia. In Italy it is also present in the islands *.

The background color of the front wings of Apodia bifractella is brown with spots and an orange wavy line, parallel to the outer margin, which continues partially along the inner edge. The rear wing is brown in color and strongly fringed.
The head with long curved palps is orange, as well as the chest with brown streaks, the abdomen brown with the edges of the segmentei orange.

The larvae are white / yellowish, squat, the head is in the same color as the body except for the brown / amber jaws.
The pupa is cylindrical, slightly pointed on the sides, of ocher with light brown shades near the "head" and the cremaster. **
The larvae are wintering and have been observed inside a silky cocoon covered with plant residues on the dried heads with Pulicaria dysenterica seeds. **
Within this cocoon, pupation ** it occurs in the period from May to June.

It frequents the habitats of host plants with a preference for wetlands.

The lare feed on Aseraceae such as Pulicaria dysenterica, Inula conyzae and Aster tripolium.


* Lepidoptera mundi https://lepidoptera.eu/ - Fauna Europea https://fauna-eu.org/
** Bestimmungshilfe für die in Europa nachgewiesenen Schmetterlingsarten - http://lepiforum.de/ -

Apodia bifractella
Apodia bifractella
Apodia bifractella
Apodia bifractella
Apodia bifractella
Apodia bifractella
Apodia bifractella
Apodia bifractella
Apodia bifractella