Micropterix

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Protostomia
Cladus: Ecdysozoa
Cladus: Panarthropoda
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Classis: Insecta
Cladus: Dicondylia
Subclassis: Pterygota
Cladus: Metapterygota
Infraclassis: Neoptera
Cladus: Eumetabola
Cladus: Endopterygota
Superordo: Panorpida
Cladus: Amphiesmenoptera
Ordo: Lepidoptera
Subordo: Zeugloptera
Superfamilia: Micropterigoidea

Familia: Micropterigidae
Genus: Micropterix
Species (68): M. abchasiae – M. aglaella – M. algeriella – M. allionella – M. amasiella – M. amsella – M. anderschella – M. angelica – M. aruncella – M. aureatella – M. aureocapilla – M. aureofasciella – M. aureopennella – M. aureoviridella – M. berytella – M. calthella – M. carthaginiensis – M. cassinella – M. completella – M. conjunctella – M. constantinella – M. corcyrella – M. croatica – M. cyaneochrysa – M. cypriensis – M. eatoniella – M. elegans – M. emiliensis – M. erctella – M. facetella – M. fenestrellensis – M. garganoensis – M. gaudiella – M. gertraudae – M. granatensis – M. hartigi – M. huemeri – M. ibericella – M. igaloensis – M. imperfectella – M. islamella – M. isobasella – M. italica – M. jabalmoussae – M. jacobella – M. jeanneli – M. kardamylensis – M. klimeschi – M. lagodechiella – M. lakoniensis – M. lambesiella – M. mansuetella – M. maritimella – M. maschukella – M. minimella – M. montanella – M. monticolella – M. montosiella – M. myrtetella – M. osthelderi – M. paykullella – M. purpureopennella – M. pusilella – M. rablensis – M. renatae – M. rhodiensis – M. rothenbachii – M. schaefferi – M. sicanella – M. sikhotealinensis – M. stuebneri – M. trifasciella – M. trinacriella – M. tunbergella – M. turkmeniella – M. tuscaniensis – M. uxoria – M. vulturensis – M. wockei – M. zangheriella

M. agenjoi – M. ammanella – M. atricapilla – M. australis – M. avarcella – M. balcanica – M. concinnella – M. cornuella – M. depictella – M. eximiella – M. fasciata – M. germanica – M. helwigella – M. herminiella – M. hyrcana – M. idea – M. inornatus – M. islamella – M. isobasella – M. italica – M. junctella – M. limbarella – M. lineata – M. liogierella – M. longicornuella – M. mucidella – M. nuraghella – M. obsoleta – M. octopunctelia – M. pistaciella – M. podevinella – M. rebeli – M. rosarum – M. rubrifasciella – M. seppella – M. silesiaca – M. staudinger – M. tricinctella – M. urticella – M. vallebonnella – M. weberi – †M. anglica – †M. immensipalpa
Name

Micropterix Hübner, 1825

Type species: Tinea podevinella Hübner, 1813, by original designation.
Synonyms

Eriocephala J. Curtis, 1839
Type species: Phalaena (Tinea) calthella Linnaeus, 1761, by monotypy.
Microptericina Zagulajev, 1983
Micropteryx Zeller, 1839 An unjustified emendation of Micropterix Hübner, [1825]. Under the Code (Edn 3), Article 33(b)(i), Zeller's spelling was "demonstrably intentional" as he treated Micropterix Hübner and Cosmopterix Hübner (on page 210 of his same work) in a similar way by changing the -ix to -yx.

References

Corley, M.F.V. 2007: A brief review of the Micropterigidae of Portugal, with description of a new species of Micropterix Hübner. Nota lepidopterologica, 30(1): 71–78. PDF
Heath, J. 1985: New species of Micropterix Hübner (Lepidoptera, Zeugloptera: Micropterigidae) from Greece and Cyprus. Nota lepidopterologica (n.f.) 8(4): 336–340. Reference page.
Kurz, M.A.; Kurz, M.E. 2010: Micropterix gertraudae sp.n. TaxOn
Kurz, M.A. , M.E. Kurz & H.C. Zeller-Lukashort, 1993: Eine neue Unterart von Micropterix klimeschi Heath, 1973 (Lepidoptera, Micropterigidae). Zeitschrift der Arbeitsgemeinschaft der österreichischen Entomologen 45: 6–8. Full article: [1].
Kurz, M.A. , M.E. Kurz & H.C. Zeller-Lukashort, 1994: Neue und interessante Schmetterlingsfunde aus Salzburg: 4. Beitrag zur Landesfauna (Lepidoptera). Entomologisches Nachrichtenblatt N.F. 1 (3-4): 18–23. Full article: [2].
Kurz, M.A. , M.E. Kurz & H.C. Zeller-Lukashort, 1997: A new Micropterix species from northern Italy (Micropterigidae). 293—298. Nota Lepidopterologica 20 (3/4): 293–298.
Kurz, M.A. , M.E. Kurz & H.C. Zeller-Lukashort, 2004: A new Micropterix species from southern France (Micropterigidae). 111—114. Nota Lepidopterologica 26 (3/4): 111–114. Full article: [3].
Kurz, M.A.; Kurz, M.E.; Zeller-Lukashort, H.C., 2010: Micropterix cassinella sp.n. TaxOn
Lees, D.C. , Rougerie, R. , Zeller-Lukashort, C.H. & Kristensen, N.P., 2010: DNA mini-barcodes in taxonomic assignment: a morphologically unique new homoneurous moth clade from the Indian Himalayas described in Micropterix (Lepidoptera, Micropterigidae). Zoologica Scripta 39 (6): 642–661. Abstract: DOI: 10.1111/j.1463-6409.2010.00447.x.
Ponomarenko, M.G. & Beljaev, E.A. 2000. New species of the genus Micropterix Hübner (Lepidoptera, Micropterigidae) from the Sikhote-Alin Rangei. Tinea 16(4): 250–251. Reference page.
Zeller-Lukashort, H.C. & Huemer, P., 2015: A new species of Micropterix Hübner, 1825 from the Orobian Alps (Italy) (Lepidoptera, Micropterigidae). Nota lepidopterologica (n.f.) 38(2): 133-146. DOI: 10.3897/nl.38.5058. Full article (PDF). Reference page.
Zeller-Lukashort, H.C.; Kurz, M.E.; Lees, D.C.; Kurz, M.A. 2007: A review of Micropterix Hübner, 1825 from northern and central Europe (Micropterigidae). Nota lepidopterologica, 30(2): 235–298. PDF
Zeller-Lukashort, H.C. , M.A. Kurz , D.C. Lees & R. Schwartz-Tzachor, 2009: Micropterix of Cyprus and the Middle East (Micropterigidae). Nota Lepidopterologica 32 (2): 129–138. Full article: [4].
Zeller-Lukashort, H.C. ; Werno, A. & Kurz, M.A., 2013: A new species of Micropterix Hübner, [1825] from southern Spain (Lepidoptera: Micropterigidae). Shilap Revista de Lepidopterologia, 41 (164): 489–494.

Micropterix is a genus of small primitive metallic moths, in the insect order lepidoptera within the family Micropterigidae. The name was raised by the German entomologist, Jacob Hübner in 1825 and comes from the Greek for mikros, little and pterux, a wing.[1] The moths are distributed across Europe, south to North Africa and east as far as Japan.

Description

The moths are small, with the forewing ranging in size from 2.5 mm to 5.5 mm, and at rest they are held at a steep angle, tent-like over the body. Unique among the lepidoptera, the moths have chewing mouthparts rather than a proboscis and are most easily seen feeding, often in large aggregations, on the pollen of the flowers of many herbaceous plants, shrubs and trees.[2][3]

Edward Meyrick describes the moth as:[4]

Mandibles developed. No tongue. Labial palpi obsolete. Posterior tibiae with spurs placed in groups of bristles. Forewings: vein 7 to costa, vein 11 connected by bar with vein 12, 12 giving rise to an additional vein (13) about middle. Hindwings as forewings, but vein 13 usually absent.

Ovum

Eggs are translucent white and laid amongst vegetation on the surface of the soil.[3]

Larva

The life history of the early stages is more or less unknown but larva have been found in the young shoots of plants, or obtained by the funnel extraction of woodland turf samples, from a depth of up to 10 cm. It appears there are only three instars and they probably feed on minute particles of leaf-litter or possibly fungal hyphae.[2][3][5]

Pupa

For many species the pupa is unknown, but of those found it is within a tough silken cocoon.[3]
Species

Micropterix contains the following species:

Micropterix abchasiae
Micropterix agenjoi
Micropterix aglaella
Micropterix algeriella
Micropterix allionella
Micropterix amasiella
Micropterix amsella
†Micropterix anglica
Micropterix aruncella
Micropterix aureatella
Micropterix aureocapilla
Micropterix aureofasciella
Micropterix aureopennella
Micropterix aureoviridella
Micropterix avarcella
Micropterix balcanica Heath (manuscript name)
Micropterix berytella
Micropterix calthella
Micropterix carthaginiensis
Micropterix cassinella
Micropterix completella
Micropterix conjunctella
Micropterix constantinella
Micropterix corcyrella
Micropterix cornuella
Micropterix croatica
Micropterix cyaneochrysa
Micropterix cypriensis
Micropterix eatoniella
Micropterix elegans
Micropterix emiliensis
Micropterix erctella
Micropterix facetella
Micropterix fasciata Heath (manuscript name)
Micropterix fenestrellensis
Micropterix garganoensis
Micropterix gaudiella
†Micropterix gertraudae
Micropterix granatensis
Micropterix hartigi
Micropterix herminiella
Micropterix huemeri
Micropterix hyrcana
Micropterix ibericella
Micropterix igaloensis
†Micropterix immensipalpa
Micropterix imperfectella
Micropterix inornatus Heath (manuscript name)
Micropterix islamella
Micropterix isobasella
Micropterix italica
Micropterix jabalmoussae
Micropterix jacobella
(Micropterix jeanneli) (either treated as a synonym or valid species)
Micropterix kardamylensis
Micropterix klimeschi
Micropterix lagodechiella
Micropterix lakoniensis
Micropterix lambesiella
Micropterix longicornuella
Micropterix mansuetella
Micropterix maschukella
Micropterix minimella
Micropterix montanella
Micropterix monticolella
Micropterix montosiella
Micropterix myrtetella
Micropterix osthelderi
Micropterix paykullella
Micropterix purpureopennella
Micropterix rablensis
Micropterix renatae
Micropterix rothenbachii
Micropterix schaefferi
Micropterix sicanella
Micropterix sikhotealinensis
Micropterix staudinger Heath (manuscript name)
Micropterix stuebneri
Micropterix trifasciella
Micropterix trinacriella
Micropterix tunbergella
Micropterix turkmeniella
Micropterix tuscaniensis
Micropterix uxoria
Micropterix vulturensis
Micropterix wockei
Micropterix zangheriella

References

Smith, Frank. "Microlepidoptera (Micro-Moths)" (PDF). Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Federation for Biological Recorders. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
Sterling, Phil; Parsons, Mark; Lewington, Richard (2012). Field Guide to the Micromoths of Great Britain and Ireland. Milton-on-Stour: British Wildlife Publishing. p. 46. ISBN 978 0 9564902 1 6.
Heath, John (1983). Micropterigidae. In The Moths and Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland. Volume 1. Colchester: Harley Books. p. 151. ISBN 0 946589 15 1.
Meyrick, E., 1895 A Handbook of British Lepidoptera MacMillan, London pdf Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. Keys and description

Kimber, Ian. "Micropterix tunbergella (Fabricius, 1787)". UKmoths. Retrieved 27 June 2021.

External links

Beccaloni, G.; Scoble, M.; Kitching, I.; Simonsen, T.; Robinson, G.; Pitkin, B.; Hine, A.; Lyal, C., eds. (2003). "Micropterix". The Global Lepidoptera Names Index. Natural History Museum. Edit this at Wikidata
Micropterix at Butterflies and Moths of the World, Natural History Museum Edit this at Wikidata