Metzneria aprilella

Metzneria aprilella
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Gelechiidae
Genus:	Metzneria
Species:	M. aprilella
Binomial name
	Metzneria aprilella; (Herrich-Schäffer, 1854)
Synonyms
	Parasia aprilella Herrich-Schäffer, 1854; Metzneria igneella Tengström, 1859; Metzneria sanguinolentella Joannis, 1910;

Metzneria aprilella, the brilliant neb, is a moth of the Gelechiidae family. It is widely distributed throughout Europe. Outside of Europe, it is found in Turkey, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Iran and southern Siberia.^[2] The habitat consists of waste ground and grassland.

The wingspan is 13–18 mm. Adults are on wing from May to August.^[3]

The larvae feed on Centaurea scabiosa and Centaurea solstitialis. They feed on the seeds from within the seedhead.^[4] The species overwinters in the larval stage within a silken chamber.

References

^ Fauna Europaea
^ Junnilainen, J. et al. 2010: The gelechiid fauna of the southern Ural Mountains, part II: list of recorded species with taxonomic notes (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae). Zootaxa, 2367: 1–68. Preview
^ microlepidoptera.nl
^ UKmoths

This article on a moth of the subfamily Anomologinae is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[1] Fauna Europaea

[2] Junnilainen, J. et al. 2010: The gelechiid fauna of the southern Ural Mountains, part II: list of recorded species with taxonomic notes (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae). Zootaxa, 2367: 1–68. Preview

[3] rolepidoptera.nl

[4] UKmoths

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]