Aproaerema cf. sangiella

• Subfamily: Anacampsinae, Anacampsini
• Wingspan: 12-13 mm
• Flight period: Jun - Jul
• Spread: Uncommon
• Host plants: Fabaceae - Lotus corniculatus

Information

The Aproaerema sangiella *** also known by the synonym Syncopacma sangiella is a moth of the Gelechiidae family, with a wingspan of 12-13 mm.
Present in most of Europe, it is absent from the Benelux, Denmark, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Slovenia and Greece. In Italy it is absent from Sicily. *

The background color of the forewings of the Aproaerema sangiella is brown-black with small cream-colored spots, the margin is fringed. Two of these spots, approximately triangular in shape, are located on the costa and on the internal margin in the post-discal region, one in correspondence with the other, sometimes they can join in a single line that crosses the wing. The hind wings are of a faded brown color, translucent, strongly fringed.

The head with long curved palps is of the same background color as the front wing, as well as the thorax, the abdomen is slightly lighter.

The larvae are brown / brown in color, with tiny black points on each segment and with the presence of small white bands around the first two segments. Head and prothoracic shield brown or black as the reminal part of the last segment. Sparse grayish white hairs are visible. **
The reddish brown pupa with the tip of the Cremaster pointed giving it an almost conical shape. **

The Aproaerema sangiella is univoltine and is visible in the months of June and July. The caterpillars, visible in May and June. Preferred habitats are limestone soils and dry moors.

The larvae feed on Lotus corniculatus (gorse) of the Fabaceae family.


* Lepidoptera mundi https://lepidoptera.eu/ - Fauna Europea https://fauna-eu.org/
** Bestimmungshilfe für die in Europa nachgewiesenen Schmetterlingsarten - http://lepiforum.de/ -
*** Aaarvik et al. (2017) I quote: "We consider Aproaerema anthyllidella (Hübner, 1813), type species of the genus Aproaerema Durrant, 1897, as a subordinate within the genus Syncopacma, 1925. Aproaerema has priority. This name change is due to the fact that Landry & Roque-Albelo (2010) have suggested that Untomia Busck, 1906 is a further senior synonym of Syncopacma. This means that we must now put all 27 previous Syncopacma species in the genus Aproaerema ".