Nematopogon adansoniella is a lepidopteran, a moth of the family Adelidae. It is found in Europe.
Its wingspan is 15âÂÂ20 mm. The moth flies from late April to June depending on the location.
The larvae feed on Fagus sylvatica, oak, Prunus spinosa and bilberry.
The synonym Tinea panzerella has also been applied to Pseudatemelia subochreella in error. To certainly determine the species of the genus Nematopogon dissection and study of the genitalia is necessary.
This is a small, rather primitive moth, with wing venation that is heteroneurous and a female reproductive system with a single opening used both for mating and for oviposition.<br /> A tergosternal connection can be observed, posterior to the first abdominal spiracle, formed by a ventrocaudal process of the first tergite that connects to the anterolateral extension of the second sternite.
The forewing is lanceolate with a rounded apex; it is dull brownish-grey with greenish iridescence and strongly marked veins; the termen tends to be slightly darker. Microtrichia are present and uniformly distributed.<br />
Its hindwing is stouter and more rounded, a uniform off-white with silvery reflections; as in all Adelidae, there is a reduction of the system associated with the radial sector (Rs) of the hindwing, with anastomosis of Sc and R from the fourth basal to the termen, and an unbranched Rs; wing coupling is frenate, with a single composite bristle frenulum in the male and multiple bristles in the female. A coupling apparatus between the forewing and metathorax is present; a precoxal bridge and loss of the first abdominal sternite can also be observed, while the second is divided into a smaller anterior sclerite (S2a) and a larger posterior one (S2b).
Its head is yellowish. The antennae are filiform and, especially in the male, exceed the body length by a considerable margin. An intercalary sclerite is present, as well as lateral spinules (probably derived from sensilla) on some proximal segments of the male flagellum. The basal antennomeres appear alternately white and black, then become more or less uniformly white in the distal portion of the antenna.<br />
Ocelli are absent, as are chaetosemata. The male's eyes are fairly developed. The proboscis is fully functional, covered in scales, and longer than the head capsule, extending beyond the maxillary palps; the latter are elongated. The labial palps have three segments, short, with lateral setae on the second; the apical segment shows a vom Rath organ.
On the legs, the tibial spur formula is 0-2-4.
The male genitalia show, on each valva, a comb-like structure called a pectinifer. The uncus is absent, while the vinculum has an elongated saccus. The juxta is arrow-shaped and the aedeagus is slender.
In the female genitalia, the ovipositor is well developed and piercing, with laterally flattened apices that allow eggs to be inserted into the leaf tissues of the host plant; this feature is considered a secondary specialization of the Adelidae. The cloaca is narrow and tube-like. The apophysis is strongly sclerotized; the corpus bursae is developed and membranous, without signa.
Its wingspan is 15âÂÂ20 mm.
The eggs are slightly speckled; they are inserted singly into the tissues of the host plant, and thus take on the shape of the "pocket" into which the female inserts them.
The caterpillar, almost cylindrical, has a rounded head that is not flattened and is prognathous, with a pronounced epicranial groove and six stemmata per side.
Two genal setae, G1 and G2, are present, while the absence of seta AF2 is considered a secondary evolution.<br /> A well-sclerotized shield is visible on the prothorax.<br /> The thoracic legs are well developed, while the prolegs, on abdominal segments IIIâÂÂVI and X, are strongly reduced; the proleg crochets, absent on segment X, are arranged in multiple rows.
The pupa is decticous, with a slightly sclerotized cuticle and appendages only weakly adherent to the body. The maxillary palps appear prominent, while the labial palps are exposed, as are the coxae of the first pair of legs. Inside the cocoon, the antennae are arranged around the abdomen. Abdominal segments IIIâÂÂVII are mobile, and one or two rows of spinules can be seen on the surface of most segments.
Adults fly in direct sunlight, and swarms may be observed, especially around groups of inflorescences, trees, or shrubs.
The larva is a leaf miner in spring; later, as it approaches the pre-pupal stage, the caterpillar lives inside a portable, lenticular case that it builds from leaf fragments and woodland litter, enlarging it as it grows; in this phase it feeds mainly on fallen leaves in the leaf litter, or in general on low-growing plants.<br />
Pupation therefore occurs inside this casing, often at the foot of the host plant, under the layer of fallen leaves.
Adults emerge between early April and June, depending on latitude.
The larvae of this species feed on leaves of plants belonging to several families, including:
The species is distributed in Europe (locus typicus), and more specifically has been found in: Spain (excluding the Canaries and the Balearics), France (excluding Corsica), Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Sweden, Denmark (absent from the Faroe Islands), Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, Italy (present from north to south, but absent from Sardinia and Sicily), Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro, Albania, Poland, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, and Turkey. There are also no reliable data regarding its presence in Macedonia, Belarus, Moldova, and Russia.
The habitat consists of deciduous forests, scrub, and woodland areas.
No subspecies have been described.
Nine synonyms have been reported.