Argyresthia goedartella

Bronze alder moth
Argyresthia goedartella, upperside
Lateral view
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Argyresthiidae
Genus:	Argyresthia
Species:	A. goedartella
Binomial name
Argyresthia goedartella (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms[1]
Phalaena goedartella Linnaeus, 1758 Argyresthia (Argyresthia) goedartella Phalaena semi-argentella Donovan, 1793 Tinea literella Haworth, 1828

Argyresthia goedartella, the bronze alder moth, is a species of moth of the family Argyresthiidae.

Distribution

This very common species can be found in most of Europe and in North America.^[2][3][4][5]

Description

Mounted specimen

Argyresthia goedartella has a wingspan of 10–13 mm.^[6][7] These tiny moths have pale ochreous head with white antennae and white forewings with coppery-golden markings. A characteristic coppery-golden Y-shaped marking is present in the middle of the wings.^[6] Hindwings are dark gray. Abdomen is grayish fuscous, while legs are brownish white.^{[7] [8]}

Wing

Biology

It is a univoltine species. These moths fly from May to October.^[1] They fly at night and on sunny afternoons and mainly feed on the nectar of tansy (Tanacetum vulgare).^[6] The larvae feed on birch (Betula species) and alder (Alnus glutinosa).^[3] They overwinter in a shoot or hard male catkin of the host plants. In late March or April, larvae congregate and pupate in a cocoon under the bark.^[6][7]

References

1. Lepiforum.de
2. Fauna Europaea
3. Funet - Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and some other life forms
4. Moth Photographers Group
5. Butterflies and Moths of North America
6. UK Moths
7. Shpeley, D. (2004). "Species Details Argyresthia goedartella". University of Alberta Museums. E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
8. Heath, J. ed. 1996 The Moths and Butterflies of Great Britain and IrelandVolume 3 (Yponomeutidae to Elachistidae)

Notes

1. ^ The flight season refers to Belgium and The Netherlands. This may vary in other parts of the range.

External links

• Media related to Argyresthia goedartella at Wikimedia Commons
• waarneming.nl (in Dutch)
• Lepidoptera of Belgium
• Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet (in Swedish)
• Commanster