Species of moth
Ethmia pusiella moth of the family Depressariidae . It occurs throughout Europe and eastwards to the Tien Shan mountains of eastern Central Asia .[ 1]
Illustration from John Curtis 's British Entomology The wingspan is 19 to 20 millimetres (0.75 to 0.79 in).
The caterpillars feed on common gromwell (Lithospermum officinale ) and Pulmonaria officinalis myrmecophilous .[ 2]
Taxonomy and systematics
Ethmia pusiella is the type species of the proposed genera Anesychia and Melanoleuca , which are now considered junior synonyms of Ethmia Ethmia , the senior synonym Anesychia must be used.[ 1]
Two subspecies are accepted nowadays:[ 1]
Ethmia pusiella pusiella – western populations, east to Ural Mountains and Asia Minor Ethmia pusiella deletella – eastern populations, Central Asia and Tien ShanIn earlier times, E. candidella E. fumidella varieties of E. pusiella .[ 1]
Junior synonyms of E. pusiella are:[ 1]
Ethmia deletella de Lattin, 1963 Ethmia lithospermella (Hübner, 1789) Ethmia scalacella (Kühn, 1777) Phalaena (Tinea) pusiella Linnaeus, 1758 Tinea lithospermella Hübner, 1789 Tinea scalacella Kühn, 1777
^ a b c d e See references in Savela (2003)
^ Grabe (1942), and see references in Savela (2003)
References
Grabe, Albert (1942): Eigenartige Geschmacksrichtungen bei Kleinschmetterlingsraupen ["Strange tastes among micromoth caterpillars"]. Zeitschrift des Wiener Entomologen-Vereins 27 : 105-109 [in German]. PDF fulltext
Savela, Markku (2003): Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and some other life forms – Ethmia
