''Callisto basistrigella'' is a

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...

of the family

Gracillariidae Gracillariidae is an important family of insects in the order Lepidoptera and the principal family of leaf miners that includes several economic, horticultural or recently invasive pest species such as the horse-chestnut leaf miner, ''Cameraria ...

. It is found in the south-eastern

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...

, ranging from the Dolomites (

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

) in the west to the Julian Alps (

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

) in the east and the Carnic Alps and Lienzer Dolomiten (

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

) in the north. The habitats are related to the dwarf-shrub zone and include subalpine meadows, rock formations and scree with '' Salix''-bushes and shrubs. The species is restricted to limestone with an altitudinal range from about 1,200 to 2,300 meters. The

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan of ...

is 10.5–13 mm. In external appearance adults are distinguishable from ''

Callisto coffeella ''Callisto coffeella'' is a moth of the family Gracillariidae found in Europe. It was first described by Johan Wilhelm Zetterstedt in 1839. Description The wingspan is 10–12 mm. There is one generation per year, with adults on wing in Ju ...

'' by the forewing pattern. In ''basistrigella'', the sub-basal whitish silvery line of the forewing is almost parallel and lies in the fold, whereas in ''coffeella'' this line is transverse to the wing axis or reduced to a spot. On average, the forewings are slightly narrower than in ''coffeella''.

Sexual dimorphism Sexual dimorphism is the condition where the sexes of the same animal and/or plant species exhibit different morphological characteristics, particularly characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most ani ...

, as observed in ''coffeella'', is absent in ''basistrigella''. Genitalia do not provide obvious diagnostic differences but the length of the phallus is significantly longer in ''basistrigella'' than in ''coffeella''. Adults have been collected during the day, flying around low bushes of alpine ''

Salix glabra ''Salix argyracea'', the smooth willow, is a small shrub from the genus of willow (''Salix''). It is found in the mountainous areas of several European countries. Description The smooth willow is a shrub that reaches heights of up to 1.5 mete ...

'' and ''

Salix waldsteiniana ''Salix waldsteiniana'', the Waldstein willow, is a species of willow Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambr ...

''. The flight period is largely dependent on exposure and snow coverage and usually extends between early June and late July.

Etymology

The species name refers to the characteristic wing markings.Integrative taxonomy reveals a new species of Callisto (Lepidoptera, Gracillariidae) in the Alps

References

Gracillariinae Moths of Europe Moths described in 2015 {{Gracillariinae-stub