Bryotropha desertella

Bryotropha desertella
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Gelechiidae
Genus:	Bryotropha
Species:	B. desertella
Binomial name
	Bryotropha desertella; (Douglas, 1850)
Synonyms
	Gelechia desertella Douglas, 1850; Gelechia decrepidella Herrich-Schäffer, 1854; Bryotropha glabrella Heinemann, 1870;

Bryotropha desertella is a moth of the family Gelechiidae. It is found in most of Europe, North Africa (Morocco), Turkey, Turkmenistan and the Russian Far East.

The wingspan is 11–16 mm. The forewings are greyish brown to ochreous brown, mottled with fuscous. The hindwings are pale brown, but darker towards the apex.^[2] Adults have been recorded on wing from early April to late September. In the north, there probably is one generation per year. In the south, there are two generations per year.

The larvae feed on mosses such as Syntrichia ruraliformis, Homalothecium lutescens and Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus. They can be found in autumn and spring, and have a dark reddish brown body and a shining black head. Pupation takes place in a sandy cocoon.

References

^ Fauna Europaea
^ Karsholt, Ole & Twan Rutten, 2005, the genus Bryotropha Heinemann in the western palaearctic (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), Tijdschrift voor Entomologie 148: 77–207. Abstract and full article: [1]

External links

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[1] Fauna Europaea

[2] Karsholt, Ole & Twan Rutten, 2005, the genus Bryotropha Heinemann in the western palaearctic (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), Tijdschrift voor Entomologie 148: 77–207. Abstract and full article: [1]

[1]

[2]