Seq # 185130010

Calybites phasianipennella (Hübner, 1813) Species

Last modified: Dec. 15, 2023, 4:52 p.m.


A fairly common species in Belgium.


Details

Classification
Family: Gracillariidae > Subfamily: Gracillariinae > Tribus: Gracillariini > Genus: Calybites > Species: Calybites phasianipennella
Vernacular names
Viervleksteltmot (NL), Little slender (EN)
First mention in Belgium
De Fré Ch. 1858. Catalogue des Microlépidoptères de la Belgique. — Annales de la Société entomologique belge 2: 45–162. On page 146 (as G.[racillaria] Phasianipennella H.). view page
Status

Native


Distribution


Imago

Wingspan: 10–11 mm.
The usual form has a brownish grey ground colour and four whitish-yellow spots, two on the costa and two on the dorsum. However, a unicolorous brownish-grey form without any pattern also occurs not very rarely.

Museum specimens

No pictures yet!

Specimens in nature


Caterpillar

The larva first lives in a small, hard to observe gallery at the underside of the leaf which is later enlarged into a small, transparant blotch mine.

No pictures yet!

Mine

At first in a small transparant blotch mine at the underside of the leaf in which the frass is concentrated at one side of the mine. The full-grown instar turns the tip of a leaf into a roll.
See also gracillariidae.net and bladmineerders.be.


Cocoon/pupa

A whitish silken cocoon.

No pictures yet!

Bionomics

At first a small gallery, then a whithish blotch and later on a leaf roll, made by cutting part of a leaf and rolling that part up and spinning it to the leaf.
Pupation takes place in the leaf roll where the larva first spins a whitish silken cocoon.
The species hibernates in the adult stage. The adults come to light.

No pictures yet!

Flight periods

The moths fly from August till early June in one generation per year.


Observed on

Host plant (species):
Polygonum hydropiper, Persicaria maculosa, Rumex acetosa, Rumex acetosella, Rumex hydrolapathum, Lysimachia vulgaris and

The larvae feed on: Polygonum, Rumex or Lysimachia. Also other plants can be chosen but much less frequently.

No pictures yet!

Habitat

The species prefers rather wet habitats where the foodplants grow, like meadows, river banks, etc.

No pictures yet!