Stephensia brunnichella

Stephensia brunnichella is a moth of the family Elachistidae found in Europe and east into the Palearctic.

Stephensia brunnichella
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Elachistidae
Genus:	Stephensia
Species:	S. brunnichella
Binomial name
Stephensia brunnichella (Linnaeus, 1767)[1]
Synonyms
Phalaena brunnichella Linnaeus, 1767 Microsetia stephensella Douglas, 1848

Description

The wingspan is 8–9 mm.^[2] The head is dark bronzy. Antennae with white subapical band. Forewings are dark bronzyfuscous; a subbasal fascia, another before middle, an erect tornal spot, and a costal spot before apex pale golden-metallic. Hindwings are dark grey. The larva is green-whitish; dorsal line dark green; head and plate of 2 blackish.^[3][4][5]

Biology

The larvae feed on lesser calamint (Calamintha nepeta), wild basil (Clinopodium vulgare) and Satureja calamintha mining the leaves of their host plant.^[6] The larvae have a greenish body with a black head. They can be found from autumn to April and again in July.

Distribution

It is widespread throughout Europe. In the north, the distribution extends up to southern Sweden and Finland and in the east it ranges as far as Asia Minor and the Crimea.^[7]