Epermenia aequidentellus

Epermenia aequidentellus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Epermeniidae
Genus: Epermenia
Species: E. aequidentellus
Binomial name
Epermenia aequidentellus
(E. Hofmann, 1867)[1]
Synonyms
  • Chauliodus aequidentellus E. Hofmann, 1867
  • Calotripis aequidentellus
  • Chauliodus daucellus Peyerimhoff, 1870
  • Epermenia daucellus

Epermenia aequidentellus is a moth of the Epermeniidae family. It is found from Norway to the Iberian Peninsula, Italy and Greece and from Great Britain to Estonia and Romania. It has also been recorded from the Canary Islands and Madeira.

A carrot leaf discoloured by larva
Larva

The wingspan is 9–12 mm. Adults are on wing from June to July and again from September to October in two generations per year.[2]

The larvae feed on Anthriscus caucalis, Athamanta cretensis, Daucus carota, Meum athamanticum, Peucedanum, Pimpinella saxifraga, Thapsia villosa and Torilis arvensis neglecta. They initially mine the leaves of their host plant. Young larvae make several small, full depth blotch mines. The mines are mostly found in the apical part of the composite leaves. Older larvae live externally on the plant under a slight web, although on host plants with fleshy leaves, the larvae may complete their development within the mine.[3] Larvae can be found from May to June and again from August to September. They are translucent yellowish green with a darker dorsal line and black or brown spots and a black head.

References