''Ectoedemia variicapitella'' is a

moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...

of the family

Nepticulidae Nepticulidae is a family of very small moths with a worldwide distribution. They are characterised by eyecaps over the eyes (see also Opostegidae, Bucculatricidae, Lyonetiidae). These pigmy moths or midget moths, as they are commonly known, inc ...

. It is endemic to the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...

. The larvae feed on ''

Hypericum canariense ''Hypericum canariense'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Hypericaceae known by the common name Canary Islands St. John's wort. It is the sole member of ''Hypericum'' sect. ''Webbia''. Etymology Among its numerous aliases in Spanis ...

''. They mine the leaves of their host plant.

External links

Fauna Europaea
Ectodemia Moths of Africa Moths described in 1908 {{Ectoedemia-stub