Ochsenheimeria taurella

Ochsenheimeria taurella, the Liverpool feather-horn or the rye stem borer, is a moth of the family Ypsolophidae.

Ochsenheimeria taurella
Ochsenheimeria taurella. Female, dorsal view
Male, side view
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Ypsolophidae
Genus:
Ochsenheimeria
Species:
O. taurella
Binomial name
Ochsenheimeria taurella
Synonyms

Distribution

This species can be found in most of Europe, as well as North Africa and the Middle East.[1]

Description

Ochsenheimeria taurella has a wingspan of 11–12 mm. [2] These rather distinctive microlepidoptera have brownish or ochreous forewings, with erect scales. These scales sometimes tend to form ill-defined fasciae of different colour. A tuft of erect scales in present on the head. The abdomen is dark brown. The females have the antennae with long black erected scales for over half of their length.[3] This species is rather similar to Ochsenheimeria vacculella, but the latter lacks the erect antennal scales.

Biology

Adults are on wing from July to September.[2] They fly in the early afternoon sunshine.[2] From September to May, the caterpillars overwinter. They feed on various coarse grasses (Poaceae), including cock's-foot (Dactylis glomerata), rough bluegrass (Poa trivialis), rye (Secale cereale) (hence the common name), meadow foxtail (Alopecurus pratensis), barley (Hordeum vulgare), oat (Avena sativa) and wheat (Triticum aestivum). They mine the stems of their host plant.[2][3][4]

Bibliography
  • Aarvik, L., Bengtsson, B.Å., Elven, H., Ivinskis, P., Jurivete, U., Karsholt, O., Mutanen, M. & N. Savenkov (2017): Nordic-Baltic Checklist of Lepidoptera. — Norwegian Journal of Entomology - Supplement No. 3: 1-236.
  • Curtis, J. (1823-1840): British Entomology; Being Illustrations and Descriptions of the Genera of Insects Found in Great Britain and Ireland: Containing Coloured Figures from Nature of the Most Rare and Beautiful Species, and in Many Instances of the Plants upon which they are Found. Vol. VI. Lepidoptera, Part II. London (E. Ellis & Co.).
  • Denis, M. & J. I. Schiffermuller (1775): Ankündung eines systematischen Werkes von den Schmetterlingen der Wienergegend herausgegeben von einigen Lehrern am k. k. Theresianum. 1-323, Wien (Augustin Bernardi)
  • Stainton, H. T. (1873): The natural history of the Tineina 13: I-VIII, London (John van Voorst)
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References
  1. Fauna europaea
  2. UK Moths
  3. Keys to the Insects of the European Part of the USSR.: Lepidoptera. Part II
  4. Donald R. Davis A Review of Ochsenheimeriidae and the Introduction of the Cereal Stem Moth Ochsenheimeria vacculella into the United States (Lepidoptera: Tineoidea)


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