Olethreutes arcuella, the arched marble, is a colorful small moth species of the family Tortricidae.

Olethreutes arcuella
Adult
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Tortricidae
Genus: Olethreutes
Species:
O. arcuella
Binomial name
Olethreutes arcuella
(Clerck, 1759)
Synonyms

Several, see text

Synonyms edit

Junior synonyms of this species are:[1]

  • Olethreutes arcuellus (lapsus)
  • Phalaena arcuana Linnaeus, 1761
  • Phalaena arcuella Clerck, 1759
  • Phalaena lambergiana Scopoli, 1763
  • Tortrix arcuana (Linnaeus, 1761)

Distribution edit

This species can be found in most of Europe, in the eastern Palearctic realm, and in the Near East.[2]

Habitat edit

These moths inhabit woodland, fields, hill pasture and heaths.[3]

Description edit

 
Olethreutes arcuella. Upperside

Olethreutes arcuella has a wingspan of 14–18 mm.[3] Forewings of these medium size moths have an orange-rufous ground colour, with some yellow patches, a few metallic blue-grey or silver-colored streaks and a wide black marking in the middle, which includes a row of three small, silver colored spots. The hindwings are brown.[3] The caterpillars are purplish- gray to violet-brown and have a yellowish-brown head.[4]

This species is quite similar to Olethreutes subtilana, but has rather narrower wings.

Biology edit

This species usually has one generation (univoltine).[4] The flight time of these day-active moths ranges between late May and August.[3] The caterpillars feed on dead and dried out leaves and similar plant material.[3][5][6] Also pupation takes place in plant debris.[7]

Bibliography edit

  • Baixeras, J.; Brown, J.W. & Gilligan, T.M. (2009): Online World Catalogue of the TortricidaeOlethreutes arcuella. Version 1.3.1. Retrieved 2010-APR-19.
  • Savela, Markku (2005): Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and some other life forms – Olethreutes arcuellus [sic]. Version of 2005-SEP-16. Retrieved 2010-APR-19.
  • Grabe, Albert (1942): Eigenartige Geschmacksrichtungen bei Kleinschmetterlingsraupen ["Strange tastes among micromoth caterpillars"]. Zeitschrift des Wiener Entomologen-Vereins 27: 105-109 [in German]. PDF fulltext

References edit

  1. ^ Baixeras et al. (2009), and see references in Savela (2005)
  2. ^ Fauna Europaea
  3. ^ a b c d e UK Moths
  4. ^ a b Keith P. Bland, J. Razowski, E.F. Hancock The Moths and Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland - Tortricidae, part 2: Olethreutinae
  5. ^ Grabe (1942)
  6. ^ Lepidoptera of Belgium
  7. ^ Lot Moths and Butterflies

External links edit