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| Insects of Britain and Ireland: the families of Lepidoptera |
Lamproniadae; including Prodoxidae
Adults diurnal; relatively long-bodied; medium built (wingspan more than 8 and less than 15 times the thoracic width); wings in repose packed with the forewings directed backwards to cover hindwings and abdomen.
Head rough (-haired). Antennae of medium length to long; extending to about 0.6–0.75 times the length of the forewing; not clubbed. Antennae of males dentate (‘unipectinate’, in Incurvaria), or simple; non-ciliate (?), or simply-ciliate. The antennal scape not forming an ‘eye cap’. Eyes glabrous. Ocelli absent. Chaetosemata absent (?). Maxillary palps well developed; 5 segmented; folded. Labial palps well developed; ascending; 3 segmented. Proboscis fully developed to absent; scaly towards the base, or not scaly.
Wingspan 7–16 mm; 12–14 times the thoracic width. Wings aculeate (strewn with minute spines). Forewings narrow; about 2.9–3.1 times as long as wide; the outer margin convexly curved; apically blunt; predominantly shining-metallic (often purplish-bronzy), or neither shining-metallic nor with shining metallic markings. Hindwings ovate-lanceolate to ovate (elongate ovate); quite markedly narrower than the forewings to markedly broader than the forewings; with a rounded apex. The fringe of the hindwings 0.6–1.5 times the width of the membrane. The upper surfaces plain; with neither discal spot nor transverse lines; hindwings with a frenulum (strong in males, represented by a more distal group of costal spines in females).
Neuration of forewings and hindwings dissimilar. Forewings 11 veined (veins 5 and 9 absent in Phylloporia), or 13 veined; with 2 anal veins. The anal veins of the forewings comprising 1b and 1c (at least in I. muscalella, as illustrated by le Cerf & Herbulot). Forewings exhibiting a tubular vein 1c (this tubular at least proximally). Vein 1b of the forewings furcate proximally. The transverse vein complete, or incomplete. Forewings with an accessory cell. Hindwings 10 veined; with 3 anal veins. The anal veins of the hindwings comprising 1a, 1b and 1c. Hindwings exhibiting vein 1a; exhibiting a tubular vein 1c. The transverse vein complete. 6 veins arising from the hindwing cell. The cell-derived hindwing veins all arising independently of one another. Vein 8 of the hindwings completely independent of the cell; not approximating to vein 7.
Tibiae of middle legs 2-spurred. Posterior tibiae 4-spurred; hairy.
Eggs, larvae and pupae. Eggs smooth or minutely pitted (?). Larval prolegs 10. Larvae case-bearing (sometimes), or not case-bearing; concealed feeders; leaf-mining, or not leaf-mining (sometimes mining in flowers or fruits).
Pupae concealed. Empty pupae protruded from place of concealment.
British representation. Genera 3; 11 species. Incurvaria masculella,, Lampronia capitella (Currant Shoot Borer), Lampronia corticella (Rasberry Moth), etc.
Classification. Microlepidoptera. Suborder Monotrysia. Superfamily Incurvarioidea.
Illustrations. • Incurvaria masculella (Feathered Diamond-back): B. Ent. 607. • Incurvaria masculella: B. Ent. 607, legend+text. • Incurvaria masculella: B. Ent. 607, text cont.. • Incurvaria masculella. • Lampronia luzella (Prodoxidae), 4-spotted Pirple Tinea: B. Ent. 639. • Lampronia luzella (Prodoxidae): B. Ent. 639, legend+text. • Lampronia luzella (Prodoxidae): B. Ent. 639, text cont.. • Incurvaria masculella (as muscalella), I. pectinea and (mainland-European) I. koerneriella: Stainton 13, II (1873). INCURVARIIDAE. 1, Incurvaria masculella. Larva (1a), and an oal leaf eaten by it (1b). 2, Incurvaria pectinea. Adult (2a) and younger (2b) larvae; a birch leaf mined by young larvae; and the case of an adult larva. 3, Incurvaria koerneriella. Larva (3a), and a beech leaf eaten by it (3b); a larva case, opened to show the inside (3c). Stainton 13, II (1873). • Stainton 13, II (1873): original legend.. • Phylloporia bistrigella: Stainton 13, I (1873). INCURVARIIDAE. 2, Phylloporia bistrigella. Larva (2a), and a birch leaf mined by two larvae, one of which has already cut out its case and departed (2b). Stainton 13, I (1873). • Stainton 13, I (1873): original legend.. • Incurvaria, Phylloporia: Stainton (1859). INCURVARIOIDEA. Incurvariidae: 1, Incurvaria praelatella; 2, Phylloporia bistrigella. Heliozelidae: 3, Antispila metallella. Adelidae: 4, Nemophora degeerella. From Stainton (1859, with approximate wingspans added). • Invurvaria, Nematopogon, Phylloporia (Stainton). 3c and 3'b', head of male Incurvaria masculella, and undenuded hindwing. 5a-5c, Nematopogon swammerdamella, fore- and hindwing, and head; 5b', undenuded hindwing of Nematopogon swammerdamella. 5'b', undenuded hindwing of Nematopogon pilella. 10''a-10''c, Phylloporia bistrigella: fore- and hindwings, and head. 11c, head of Incurvaria praelatella. From Stainton (!854, Plate II). • Lampronia (~Prodoxidae: Stainton). 1'a and 1'b, fore- and hindwings of Lampronia morosa. 3'a, 3'b, 3'b' and 3'c: Lampronia capitella, fore- and hindwings, undenuded hindwing, and head. 4'c and 4'd, head and part of antenna of Lampronia pubicornis. From Stainton (1854, Plates I and II). • Larvae of 'Tineina' (Stainton). 1, OECOPHORIDAE: Diurnea fagella larva, and (1a) shown between united birch leaves. 2, PSYCHIDIDAE: Taleporia(?) larva, showing cases attached to lichen (2a), and a single case enlarged. 3, YPONOMEUTIDAE: Ochsenheimeria taurella, and (3a) a section of grass stem showing the larva in situ. 4, TINEIDAE: Tineola bisselliella, with a gallery formed in feathers (4a); 4b, a case of Tinea pellionella on a feather. 5, INCURVARIIDAE: Incurvaria praelatella, with a partially devoured wild strawberry leaf (5a), and a case from the underside. 6, Incurvaria pectinea, and (6a) the larva in its case feeding on a fallen oak leaf. 7, Lampronia capitella, with (7a) a currant shoot withering from the effects of the larva feeding in the stem. 8, YPONOMEUTIDAE: Swammerdamia pyrella, with (8a) the larva in its web between united cherry leaves. 9, Yponomeutidae-Plutellinae: Plutella porrectella, and (9a) feeding on a Hesperis leaf. 10, GLYPHIPTERIGIDAE: Orthotelia sparganella, with (10a) an eaten stem of Sparganium. 11. OECOPHORIDAE: Depressaria sp., with (11a) a leaf of Centaurea nigra distorted by its attentions. 12, GELECHIIDAE: Anacampsis temerella, with (12a) a sallow leaf tenanted by it. 13, Metzneria aestivella, with (13a) a sectioned fruiting head of Carlina showing the feeding larva in situ. 14, OECOPHORIDAE: Crassa unitella, and (14a) a piece of decayed wood burrowed by the larvae. 15, GLYPHIPTERIGIDAE: Glyphipteryx equitella, with (15a) shoots of Sedum acre showing the middle one bleached by excavations of the larva. 16, YPONOMEUTIDAE: Argyresthia bonnetella, with (16a) hawthorn shoots eaten by the larva. 17, GRACILLARIIDAE: Caloptilia alchimiella, with (17a) an oak lead exhibiting a cone formed by the larva. 18, OECOPHORIDAE: Agonopterix angelicella, with (18a) its cone on a hawthorn leaf. 19, COLEOPHORIDAE: Coleophora follicularis, with (19a) a mined leaf of Eupatorium, and (19b) the case enlarged. 20, LYONETIIDAE: Bedellia somnulentella, with (20a) a mined Convolvulus arvensis leaf. 21, EPERMENIIDAE: Epermenia chaerophyllellus, with (21a) a portion of Anthriscus sylvestris leaf eaten half through by it. 22, MOMPHIDAE: Chrysoclista linneella, with (22a) a piece of inner bark of lime burrowed by it. 23, ELACHISTIDAE: Elachista maculicerusella. with (23a) a mined Phragmites leaf blade. 24, TISCHERIIDAE: Emmetia marginea, and (24a) a mined bramble leaf. 25, GRACILLARIIDAE: Phyllonorycter quinnata, with (25a) a mined Carpinus leaf. 26, LYONETIIDAE: Leucoptera laburnella, with (26a) a mined Laburnum leaf. 27, Bucculatrix bechsteinella (Bucculatricidae), and a hawthorn leaf eaten half through. 28, NEPTICULIDAE: Nepticula sp., with (28a) a mined Potentilla leaf. From Stainton (1854, Plate X). • Incurvaria masculella, neuration.
We advise against extracting comparative information from the descriptions. This is much more easily achieved using the DELTA data files or the interactive key, which allows access to the character list, illustrations, full and partial descriptions, diagnostic descriptions, differences and similarities between taxa, lists of taxa exhibiting or lacking specified attributes, and distributions of character states within any set of taxa. See also Guidelines for using data taken from Web publications.
Cite this publication as: ‘Watson, L., and Dallwitz, M.J. 2003 onwards. Insects of Britain and Ireland: the families of Lepidoptera. Version: 14th April 2022. delta-intkey.com’.
