Homoeosoma sinuella

• Subfamily: Phycitinae, Phycitini
• Wingspan: 16-23 mm
• Flight period: May - Aug
• Spread: Common
• Host plants: Plantaginaceae

Information

Homoeosoma sinuella is a moth of the Pyralidae family, with a wingspan of 16-23 mm.
In Europe it is widespread, absent from Ireland, Belgium, Norway from Slovenia, Ukraine and northern European Russia. *
In Italy it is also present in Sardinia. *

The front wings of Homoeosoma sinuella are ocher / reddish in color
Like many others belonging to the Phycitinae subfamily, the Homoeosoma sinuella also has wings divided into three parallel bands (in the discal and postdical region) by two dark bands, generally brown in color.

Both these bands are not well defined and can vary in shape and intensity but characterize this species making it one of the easiest moths to be recognized in this subfamily. Near the termen there is a third dark band, this too has a certain variability.

Hind wings of grayish color, translucent with brown dusting on the veins and along the edge, the wings are fringed.
Head, thorax and abdomen are in the background color of the front wings. **

Adults can be observed from May to August depending on the latitude.
This species lives in open habitats on dry soils, on old limestone or chalk dunes, meadows, embankments and wastelands.
They are mainly active at dusk and are attracted by artificial light. ***

The larva pierces the rhizome and lives in the rootstock of the host plant, causing the central leaves to sag. ***, ****
The larva overwinters inside a silky cocoon covered with soil residues both in the rootstock and nearby in the rhizome, pupation also takes place in the hibernacle. **, ***, ****

The larva has an opaque white, knurled, translucent body, with black spiracles, an amber head, like the prothoracic shield. **
The chrysalis is yellow with brown shades at the apexes and abdominal segments. **

The larva is monophagous and feeds on Palntago sp. in particular of Plantago lanceolata.


* Lepidoptera mundi https://lepidoptera.eu/ - Fauna Europea https://fauna-eu.org/
** Bestimmungshilfe für die in Europa nachgewiesenen Schmetterlingsarten - http://lepiforum.de/ -
*** Catalogue of the Lepidoptera of Belgium - https://projects.biodiversity.be/lepidoptera/species/3938/
**** Plant Parasites of Europe leafminers, galls and fungi- https://bladmineerders.nl/