Kessleria alpicella is a moth of the family Yponomeutidae. It is found in Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Switzerland, Italy and most of the Balkan Peninsula.[1]

Kessleria alpicella
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Yponomeutidae
Genus: Kessleria
Species:
K. alpicella
Binomial name
Kessleria alpicella
(Stainton, 1851)
Synonyms
  • Tinea alpicella Stainton, 1851
  • Swammerdamia alpicella

The length of the forewings is 7–9 mm for males and 7.3-7.6 mm for females. The forewings are white with light brown accents. The hindwings are grey. Adults are on wing from the end of May to the end of July.[2]

The larvae feed on Saxifraga paniculata and Saxifraga rotundifolia. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine initially has the form of a narrow, full depth corridor with dispersed frass. Later, several full depth blotches are made. Pupation takes place outside of the mine.[3] The larvae have a green body and light brown head. They can be found in November.

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