Coleophora cf. versurella

• Subfamily:
• Wingspan: 11-15 mm
• Flight period: Jun - Sep
• Spread: Common
• Host plants: Amaranthaceae - Chenopodiaceae

Information

The Coleophora versurella is a small moth of the Coleophoridae family with a wingspan of 11-15 mm.
It is widespread in most of Europe with the exception of parts of the Balkans and Belarus. In Italy it is also present in the islands. *
It is also distributed in the Olarctic region and South America**.

The front wings have a cream background color, with streaks ranging from hazelnut to ocher and crossing them lengthwise. A light dusting black is visible along the entire length of the wing. The costa is in the background color that continues to the apex. The edges are strongly fringed. The hind wings are brown in color, strongly fringed, almost "feathered".
The antennae are thread-like dotted in thin lines of ocher and white. The head, thorax and shoulder are light brown.

It is one of the many species of the genus Coleophora striate which are best separated from each other by dissection of the genitals, [from this the term cf. or cf. before the name which is an abbreviation, frequently used in Italian, for the Latin word "CONFER" (singular imperative of the verb "conferre") in the meaning of "compare"], and therefore, also in this case the cfr. is a must .

Univoltina the aduli are visible between June and September and are mainly nocturnal. **
They frequent various habitats always connected to the host plants. The larva, like other congeners, creates a shell of silk and grains of plant material or excrement.

The larvae feed on Amaranthaceae, such as Amaranthus retroflexus and on Chenopodiaceae, such as Atriplex sp., Chenopodium sp. *, and Halimione portulacoides ***.


* Lepidoptera mundi https://lepidoptera.eu/ - Fauna Europea https://fauna-eu.org/
** (E.MMET 1996) - https://www.researchgate.net/
*** Database of Insects and their Food Plants - https://www.brc.ac.uk/