''Cosmopterix scribaiella'' is a moth of the family Cosmopterigidae. It is found from most of Europe (except the

Balkan Peninsula The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

) to

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. The wingspan is about 10 mm. Adults are on wing from late June to October in western Europe. The larvae feed on '' Phragmites australis''. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine starts as a corridor, but becomes as wide as the blade in the end half. The widening of the mine is accomplished by adding all tissue between two thick longitudinal veins. Most

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is concentrated in the lowest part of the mine, but part is ejected through a number of small holes. The larva spins a tube in the lowest part of the mine where it hibernates and where pupation takes place.

Subspecies

*''Cosmopterix scribaiella scribaiella'' *''Cosmopterix scribaiella japonica'' Kuroko, 1960 (Japan)

References

scribaiella Moths of Asia Moths of Europe Moths described in 1850 {{Cosmopterix-stub