Luffia

Luffia is a genus of moths belonging to the family Psychidae and are found in Europe. Species are either bisexual with apterous (i.e.wingless) females or parthenogenetic where the larva develops from an egg without fertilisation.

Luffia
Luffia ferchaultella case and larva
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Psychidae
Tribe:	Luffiini
Genus:	Luffia Tutt, 1899
Species
Luffia ferchaultella Stephens, 1850 Luffia lapidella Goeze, 1783 Luffia maggiella Chapman, 1901 Luffia rebeli Walsingham, 1907

Description

Males have a wingspan of 7–12 millimetres (0.28–0.47 in) and antenna with 18–24 segments, while the females are wingless and have 6–10 segments on the antenna. Larva live within a case, and pupation and emergence also take place in the case, with the exuviae remaining within. The female moves through the rear opening of the case for mating and lays her eggs in the case.^[1]

Taxonomy

The genus, Luffia was erected by the British entomologist James William Tutt in 1899, in honour of the Channel Island collecter, W T Luff (1851–1910). The moth Luffia lapidella is common on the Channel Islands.^[2]