Endothenia cf. marginana

• Subfamily: Olethreutinae, Endotheniini
• Wingspan: 11-16 mm
• Flight period: May - Aug
• Spread: Common
• Host plants: Polyphagous

Information

The Endothenia marginana is a moth of the Tortricidae family, subfamily Olethreutinae, with a wingspan of 11-16 mm.
It is distributed throughout most of Europe with the exception of Croatia, Bulgaria and Greece. *
In Italy it is also present in the islands. *

The front wings of the Endothenia marginana have the background of the front wings is of cream color, with ocher, hazelnut and brown streaks, more marked in the discal region, sometimes with the appearance of a single fascia. It usually shows greyish areas in the basal region.
A band in the background color crosses the post-discal region to the inner corner. Another less defined band, in the same color as the previous one, is visible in the basal region.
Inside, shades of gray, ocher and brown are visible. The apical ocellus is not well defined and is ocher in color.

The costa has small signs, in brown and cream colors. The edge of the wing is fringed in brown colors, and cream in the inner corner.
The rear wing is greyish / brown, edged, has white fringes with shades in the background color.

It is very difficult to distinguish from its congeners from this precisely the cf ..
The identification was made on the basis of some morphological characters seen in other specimens, with certainty of identification and in particular:

1) The dark lines contained in the gray spot near the outer margin (highlighted in photo 1), which are absent or just visible and with a narrower gray band, in the species more similar Endothenia gentianaeana than in Endothenia marginana seem to be always present; **, ***

2) In Endothenia gentianaeana , the three black lines, (highlighted in photo 1), also show a gray dusting, in the shape of a mirrored J , which starts from the narrowest gray spot, this spot in the shape of of J is not present in Endothenia marginana . **, ***

It is not certain that those reported are "decisive characters" for identification, therefore the same therefore remains a personal consideration, obtained by comparing the photos available on specialized sites, which suggest the identification in Endothenia marginana .
Adults of this and other similar species require genital dissection for precise identification.

Adults fly from late May to August and can be found in a variety of open, wooded habitats. The larva of Endothenia gentianaeana is white / greyish with a brown / reddish head and prothoracic shield.
It feeds on the pith, in the cavity of a seed head of nurturing plants such as Dipsacus fullonum (thistle) where the pupation also takes place. **
More larvae can be found in one cavity.
The pupa is light brown in color. **

The larvae feed from September to June on various plants such as Betonica officinalis (betonica), Dipsacus fullonum (thistle), Galeopsis spp. (canapetta), Pedicularis spp., Rhinanthus and Plantago lanceolata (plantain).


* Lepidoptera mundi https://lepidoptera.eu/ - Fauna Europea https://fauna-eu.org/
** Bestimmungshilfe für die in Europa nachgewiesenen Schmetterlingsarten - http://lepiforum.de/
*** Doremi G.- Tortricidae della Bassa Friulana - Osservazioni dal 2010 al 2017 pp.11-12 - https://www.academia.edu/35940769/Tortricidae_della_Bassa_Friulana