Adela cuprella (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) Species
Last modified: Feb. 9, 2024, 3:06 p.m.
A rather common species throughout Belgium.
Details
- Classification
- Family: Adelidae > Subfamily: Adelinae > Genus: Adela > Species: Adela cuprella
- Vernacular names
- Wilgenlangsprietmot (NL), Early Long-horn (EN)
- First mention in Belgium
- De Sélys-Longchamps E. 1844. Énumération des insectes Lépidoptères de la Belgique. — Mémoires de la Société royale des Sciences de Liége 2: 1–35. On page 24 (as Adela cuprella Wv.). view page
- Status
-
Native
Distribution
Imago
Wingspan 14–17 mm. Unicolourous brown, coppery or bronzy, without the green hue of Adela reaumurella. Head of the males black, of the females bright orange-red.
Museum specimens
Specimens in nature
Case
Case oval, constructed from 5–6 pairwise similar crescent-like leaf particles, 10–11 mm.
Bionomics
Oviposition in the female catkins of mainly Salix cinerea. The young larva bores into the catkins of various Salix species. The later stages live on fallen Salix leaves on the ground, from a flat bivalved case. It overwinters twice, sometimes three times. Pupation in the case. The males are active in sunshine and swarm around the tops of blossoming Salix trees during springtime. Females rest in the lower vegetation.
Flight periods
The adults fly from mid-April till early May when the Salix trees show their catkins.
Observed on
- Host plant (species):
- Salix cinerea
- Host plant (genera):
- Salix
Various Salix species, but mainly Salix cinerea.
Habitat
Alluvial forests, wetlands or river landscapes.
