Micropterix calthella
Micropterix calthella, the marsh marigold moth, is a species of moth belonging to the family Micropterigidae. It is found in damp habitats throughout Europe (except for the far south) and is also distributed eastwards to central Siberia. It was described by Carl Linnaeus in 1761 as Phalaena calthella.
| Micropterix calthella | |
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Micropterigidae |
| Genus: | Micropterix |
| Species: | M. calthella |
| Binomial name | |
| Micropterix calthella (Linnaeus, 1761) | |
| Synonyms | |
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Description
Pupae are brown with dark oculi and paler abdominal segments.[1] Adults are small, with a forewing length of up to 4.6 millimetres (0.18 in) and a wingspan of 8–10 millimetres (0.31–0.39 in).[2] The species is more plainly marked than many other European species of Micropterix, and has dark bronze-coloured forewings with distinctive purple bases. The hindwings are rather dark bronzy-grey. The head is deep ferruginous-yellow.
Behaviour
Like other members of the family, Micropterix calthella has functional jaws in its imaginal stage. As adult, it feeds on pollen grains from a wide variety of plants such as Acer, Ajuga, Caltha, Cardamine, Carex, Crataegus, Mercurialis and Ranunculus. The adults possess sociable behavior.
Lissan House, Cookstown, Northern Ireland; feeding on pollen of Ranunculus repens.
Illustration from John Curtis's British Entomology Volume 6
References
- Patočka, Jan; Turčáni, Marek (2005). Lepidoptera pupae: Central European species. Text volume. Apollo Books. p. 30. ISBN 87-88757-47-1.
- "Micropterix calthella". UK Moths. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
External links
Media related to Micropterix calthella at Wikimedia Commons- Micropterix calthella at Naturhistoriska riksmuseet
Further reading
- Zeller-Lukashort, H. Christof; et al. (2007). "A review of Micropterix Hübner, 1825 from northern and central Europe (Micropterigidae)" (PDF). Nota Lepidopterologica. 30 (2): 235–298.
- Meyrick, E., (1895) A Handbook of British Lepidoptera MacMillan, London (pdf
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. Keys and description page 806)