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| Insects of Britain and Ireland: the families of Lepidoptera |
Adults diurnal; relatively medium-bodied, or long-bodied; relatively slender-bodied (wingspan more than 15 times the thoracic width) to medium built (wingspan more than 8 and less than 15 times the thoracic width); with fully developed wings (males), or wingless, or with vestigial wings (the females of most species, which may also have reduced legs and antennae); wings in repose spread flat with their lower surfaces more or less appressed to the substrate, or packed with the forewings directed backwards to cover hindwings and abdomen (?).
Head rough (-haired). Antennae very short to of medium length; extending to about 0.4–0.5 times the length of the forewing. Antennae of males bipectinate (to the tip), or simple; when not bipectinate, simply-ciliate, or fasciculate-ciliate. The antennal scape without a pecten. Eyes glabrous. Ocelli present, or absent. Chaetosemata absent (?). Maxillary palps much reduced, or absent. Labial palps well developed (Naryciinae), or short or rudimentary; when developed, drooping, or porrect; 1–3 segmented, or ?. Proboscis absent.
Wingspan 9–28 mm; 8–20 times the thoracic width. Forewings broad; about 1.8–2.5 times as long as wide; the outer margin convexly curved; apically blunt. Hindwings ovate to broadly rounded; similar in breadth to the forewings; with a rounded apex; the upper surfaces conspicuously patterned above (more or less, with scattered transverse spots or indistinct lines), or plain; with transverse lines, or with neither discal spot nor transverse lines; with a frenulum.
Neuration of forewings and hindwings dissimilar. Forewings 12 veined (with vein 8 lacking); with 2 anal veins. The anal veins of the forewings comprising 1b and 1c. Forewings exhibiting a tubular vein 1c (well developed throughout its length, sometimes connected by a bar to 1b). Vein 1b of the forewings furcate proximally. The transverse vein complete. Forewings with an accessory cell, or without an accessory cell. Discal cell of the forewings containing a tubular media (M) vein (this forked). Hindwings 9 veined, or 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. Vein 1b of the hindwings furcate proximally to simple. Hindwings with a discal cell (containing a forked or simple M vein). The transverse vein complete. 5 veins arising from the hindwing cell (then 6 absent), or 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, or joined to the cell only by a bar, or anastomosing with the upper margin of the cell; not approximating to vein 7.
Fore-legs with a tibial epiphysis, or without a tibial epiphysis. Tibiae of middle legs without spurs, or 1-spurred, or 2-spurred. Posterior tibiae without spurs (or 1-spurred?), or 2-spurred, or 4-spurred.
Eggs, larvae and pupae. Eggs not flattened; smooth or minutely pitted. Larval prolegs 10. Larvae case-bearing; concealed feeders. On divers Dicots and grasses, also lichens.
Pupae concealed; above the ground (in the larval case). Empty pupae protruded from place of concealment, or not becoming protruded.
British representation. Genera 14; 24 species (2 adventive). Epichnopterix plumella (Woolly Case-bearer, Transparent Sweep), Taleporia tubulosa (Large Birch Bright), etc.
Classification. Macromoths. Suborder Ditrysia. Superfamily Tineoidea.
The Taleporiinae and Naryciinae are placed here in modern treatments, where they conform in having case-bearing larvae and (often) apterous females; but it is easily appreciated (e.g., contrast Curtis's illustrations of Taleporia tubulosa and Epichnopterix plumella) why taxonomists from Curtis to Meyrick referred them to the Tineidae. It will be interesting to have results from comparative DNA sequencing in order to assess this and many other mid- to late Twentieth-century classificatory re-assignments and hierarchical adjustments.
Illustrations. • Epichnopterix plumella (Woolly Case-bearer, Transparent Sweep: B. Ent. 332). • Epichnopterix plumella: B. Ent. 332, legend+text. • Epichnopterix plumella.: B. Ent. 332, text cont.. • Taleporia tubulosa (Large Birch Bright: B. Ent. 487). • Taleporia tubulosa: B. Ent. 487, legend+text. • Taleporia tubulosa: B. Ent. 487, legend cont.. • Narycia monilifera: Stephens VI, 1835 (as N. elegans). • Dahlica, Narycia, Taleporia: Stainton. 4a-c, Taleporia tubulosa, fore- and hindwings, and head. 5a-c, Dahlica inconspicuella, fore- and hindwings, and head. 6a-d, fore- and hindwings, head and part of antenna of Narycia marginepunctella. 7a-c, Narycia monilifera, fore- and hindwings, and head. From Stainton (1854, Plate I). • 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). • Canephora (with larva), Psyche, Oreopsyche. • Psyche casta: neuration. • Taleporia tubulosa: neuration. • neuration: Acanthopsyche, Psyche.
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’.
