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Comprehensive Description

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Eriocraniella (Eriocraniella) aurosparsella (Walsingham)

Micropteryx aurosparsella Walsingham, 1880:83.—Riley, 1891:111, no. 6017.

Eriocephala aurosparsella (Walsingham).—Dyar, 1902 [1903]:581, no. 6620.—Kearfott, 1903:125, no. 7167.

Mnemonica aurosparsella (Walsingham).—Meyrick, 1912a:19; 1912b:5.—Barnes and McDunnough, 1917:197, no. 8478.—McDunnough, 1939:110, no. 9853.

Eriocraniella aurosparsella (Walsingham).—Viette, 1949:31.—Davis, 1975:10, 33.

Eriocraniella species, Opler, 1974:4.

ADULT (Figure 174).—Wing Expanse: , 8.0–9.0 mm; , 7.5–8.5 mm.

Head: Relatively sparsely covered with whitish to grayish hairs intermixed with fuscous hairs. Antennae relatively short, approximately 0.35–0.38 the length of forewing, 31- to 35-segmented; scape dark fuscous above, white beneath; flagellum almost entirely covered with narrow, dark fuscous scales above and laterally except for apical 3–4 segments that are thinly scaled with white; venter of flagellum mostly devoid of scales, instead densely covered with brownish pubescence. Maxillary palpi usually entirely fuscous; distal 2 segments sometimes slightly irrorated with grayish white; apex of terminal (5th) segment divided into 3 series of minute lobes as follows: (a) a single, relatively elongate, apical lobe bearing one long (length ca. 1.7 the diameter of lobe), blunt seta and 3 short (length less than diameter of lobe), subapical subacute setae, (b) an identical pair of moderately long, subapical lobes, each bearing one long, subacute apical seta, and (c) identical subapical pair of very short lobes, each bearing one long, apical subacute seta. Base of galeae covered with whitish scales irrorated with fuscous. Labial palpi fuscous above and on outer sides, silvery white along inner sides.

Thorax: Dorsum smoothly covered with broad, dark fuscous scales, slightly bronzy in iridescence; tegulae with long tufts of predominantly fuscous hairs irrorated with white. Venter grayish white. Legs usually fuscous above, whitish ventrally. Forewings immaculate, brownish fuscous, usually with a distinct bronzy to light purplish iridescence; fringe uniformly brownish fuscous. Hind wings similar to forewings in color though less lustrous, uniformly covered with relatively broad scales.

Abdomen (Figures 229–230): Thinly clothed with brownish fuscous hairlike scales above, grayish white ventrally. Fourth sternite of female with oval and relatively small fenestrae; diameter of fenestrae approximately 0.22–0.25 the length of sternite; fenestrae absent in male. Sternal tubercules present on 5th sternite of both sexes, papiliform; diameter approximately 0.2 the length of sternite. Caudal apices of 8th tergite and sternite in female normally entire, not divided, acute and well defined.

Male Genitalia (Figures 263–264): Uncus deeply bilobed; lobes prominent, curved laterally; apices broadly rounded, widely separated for a distance approximately equal to their length. Anal tube membranous; basal sclerites absent. Caudal margin of vinculum with a prominent, deeply divided process, or furcula, arising medially; length of furcula approximatetly equaling length of lobes of uncus; lobes of furcula slender, acute, about 0.5 the length of entire furcula. Anterior apophyses moderately long, 0.55–0.6 the length of undivided vinculum. Juxta broadest anteriorly, narrowing slightly posteriorly to a rather broad, concave apex; greatest width approximately 0.75 its length. Base of aedeagus bulbous; ventral phallic branch slightly sinuate, stout, equaling the dorsal branch in diameter; apex of ventral branch with a cluster of 9–10 large exophalic spines; ventral branch loosely articulated to bulbous base of dorsal branch.

Female Genitalia (Figures 310–312, 339): Apex of ovipositor acuminate; lateral edges serrulate, with 6–8 minute teeth. Bursa copulatrix of moderate length, not surpassing cephalic apices of anterior apophyses when extended; wall of corpus bursae completely membranous. Vaginal sclerite darkly sclerotized, moderately long, greatest width 0.60–0.65 its length; cephalic apex of sclerite broad, with a relatively well-developed, rounded ventral keel as in Figure 311.

Caudal apex of 9th segment with a prominent, spinose pocket; lateral margin of left side of pocket greatly thickened and more spinose, with approximately 15–17 minute teeth; right side poorly developed.

LARVA (Figures 121–132).—Length of largest larva 7.0 mm; diameter 1.0 mm.

Head: Uniformly dark brown with frontal sutures darkly outlined. Greatest width 0.5 mm, length 0.6 mm. Va variable, situated either anterior, laterad, or posterior to V1. Pl moderately elongate, several times larger than A2, usually arising from or contiguous to ecdysial line. A2 usually laterad to Pl. A1 present. Labrum usually with apices of M2, M3, and L3 broadly compressed (Figure 129), subtruncate, with a subapical row of 3–4 minute but relatively prominent teeth along ventral margin. M3 arising approximately equidistant between M2 and L3; anterior margin of pilifers and epipharynx spinose. Mandibles with inner margins smooth; mesal setal tufts absent.

Thorax: Pronotal and prosternal plates well developed, dark brown. Meso- and metathorax without sclerotized plates. L2 reduced in size on meso- and metathorax, approximately 0.3 the length of L1. Subventral setae bisetose on prothorax.

Abdomen: Integument without pigmentation, whitish except for a minute pair of longitudinal, brownish spots near lateroposterior margin of anal segment; barlike spot with cephalic end slightly enlarged and punctate; anal segment largely unpigmented. L1 absent on I to VIII. SD2 present on I to VIII. Segment IX with 7 pair of primary setae; SD2, L3, and SV3 absent.

TYPE.—Holotype, sex unknown; in the British Museum (Natural History).

TYPE-LOCALITY.—Southern Oregon.

HOST.—Fagaceae: “Quercus kellogii Newb.,” Opler, 1974.

FLIGHT PERIOD.—Late February to late May; univoltine.

DISTRIBUTION (Map 4).—This species is known to range from southern Oregon south through the coastal ranges of California to Santa Clara County and Santa Cruz Island.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.—80 males, 15 females, and 15 larvae. UNITED STATES. CALIFORNIA: Alameda Co: Berkeley: 1 , 22 May (USNM). Contra Costa Co: Orinda. 3 , 5 , 26 Feb–6 Mar, Quercus kellogii (UCB); 1 , 6 Mar, Quercus kellogii (USNM). E1 Dorado Co: Blodgett Forest, 12 mi [19.2 km] E Georgetown: 10 , 6 , 20 May (UCB). Sly Park Dam: 8 larvae, 19 May (UCB); 6 larvae, 19 May (USNM). Mendocino Co: Hopland Field Sta Hdq., 900–1600 ft [274–488 m]: 2 , 27 Apr (UCB). Hopland Field Sta, Kelsey Cab Orch area, 2600–2800 ft [793–854 m]: 2 larvae, 29 Apr (UCB); 1 larva, 29 Apr (USNM). Santa Barbara Co: Prisoner's Harbor, Sta Cruz Island: 1 , 16 Mar (UCB); 1 , 16 Mar (USNM). Tulare Co: Fairview: 1 , 27 Apr (UCB). Tuolumne Co: South Fork Stanislaus R, 4 airline mi [6.4 km] NE Columbia: 35 , 3 Apr (UCB); 4 , 28 Mar–3 Apr (USNM); 25 , 28 Mar–3 Apr (CAS). Tuolumne City, 3 mi [4.8 km] NE: 1 , 23 Mar (UCB); 1 , 23 Mar (USNM).
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bibliographic citation
Davis, Donald R. 1978. "A Revision of the North American Moths of the Superfamily Eriocranioidea with the proposal of a New Family, Acanthopteroctetidae (Lepidoptera)." Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology. 1-131. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.00810282.251

Eriocraniella aurosparsella

provided by wikipedia EN

Eriocraniella aurosparsella is a moth of the family Eriocraniidae. It was described by Walsingham in 1880. It is found from southern Oregon south through the coastal ranges of California to Santa Clara County and Santa Cruz Island.[1]

The wingspan is 8–9 mm for males and 7.5-8.5 mm for females. The forewings are immaculate, brownish fuscous, usually with a distinct bronzy to light purplish iridescence. The hindwings are similar to the forewings though less lustrous. They are uniformly covered with relatively broad scales. Adults are on wing from late February to late May in one generation per year.

The larvae feed on Quercus kellogii. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine is elongate and linear at first. It follows the leaf margin for a short distance and then abruptly enlarges to form a large, full-depth blotch. The larvae have a dark brown body and a uniformly dark brown head.

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Eriocraniella aurosparsella: Brief Summary

provided by wikipedia EN

Eriocraniella aurosparsella is a moth of the family Eriocraniidae. It was described by Walsingham in 1880. It is found from southern Oregon south through the coastal ranges of California to Santa Clara County and Santa Cruz Island.

The wingspan is 8–9 mm for males and 7.5-8.5 mm for females. The forewings are immaculate, brownish fuscous, usually with a distinct bronzy to light purplish iridescence. The hindwings are similar to the forewings though less lustrous. They are uniformly covered with relatively broad scales. Adults are on wing from late February to late May in one generation per year.

The larvae feed on Quercus kellogii. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine is elongate and linear at first. It follows the leaf margin for a short distance and then abruptly enlarges to form a large, full-depth blotch. The larvae have a dark brown body and a uniformly dark brown head.

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Wikipedia authors and editors
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