''Mompha divisella'' 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 ...

in the family

Momphidae The Momphidae, or mompha moths, is a family of moths with some 115 described species. It was described by Gottlieb August Wilhelm Herrich-Schäffer in 1857. These moths tend to be rather small with a wingspan of up to 21 mm. The wings are he ...

. It is found from southern

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Swe ...

to the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia (country), Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range ...

and central

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an ...

Description

The species is brown; its

thorax The thorax or chest is a part of the anatomy of humans, mammals, and other tetrapod animals located between the neck and the abdomen. In insects, crustaceans, and the extinct trilobites, the thorax is one of the three main divisions of the ...

is brown while the forewings are greyish brown. The head is white with inward-oblique and narrowed

fascia A fascia (; plural fasciae or fascias; adjective fascial; from Latin: "band") is a band or sheet of connective tissue, primarily collagen, beneath the skin that attaches to, stabilizes, encloses, and separates muscles and other internal organ ...

which is 3/4 in length. The scales are light greyish brown and are measured 1/4, 1/2, and 3/4 from all sides. The dorsal of a basal part is white, while the

hindwing Insect wings are adult outgrowths of the insect exoskeleton that enable insects to fly. They are found on the second and third thoracic segments (the mesothorax and metathorax), and the two pairs are often referred to as the forewings and hi ...

s are grey. Females have a broader abdomen and fascia, which is white, with the seventh segment is being greyish brown. 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 ...

is . Adults are on wing from August to May of the following year after overwintering.

Male genitalia

The male's cacullus is slender and slightly narrowed, with broader and rounded tip. Their

sacculus Sacculus may refer to: * Saccule, a bed of sensory cells in the inner ear * Sacculus (insect antenna anatomy), a sensory organ in the antenna of certain insects * Sacculus (insect genital anatomy), a male genital structure in moths and butterflie ...

is tapped gradually, but is slightly bent. The

apex The apex is the highest point of something. The word may also refer to: Arts and media Fictional entities * Apex (comics), a teenaged super villainess in the Marvel Universe * Ape-X, a super-intelligent ape in the Squadron Supreme universe *Apex, ...

is blunt, reaching sometimes beyond the top of cacullus. Their body also have small

anellus ''Anellus'' is a monotypic moth genus of the family Erebidae. Its only species, ''Anellus edai'', is known from Ishigaki Island, which is southwest of Japan. Both the genus and the species were first described by Michael Fibiger in 2008. Adults ...

lobes, which are clavate. The

aedeagus An aedeagus (plural aedeagi) is a reproductive organ of male arthropods through which they secrete sperm from the testes during copulation with a female. It can be thought of as the insect equivalent of a mammal's penis, though the compariso ...

have three

carnuti The Carnutes or Carnuti (Gaulish: 'the horned ones'), were a Gallic tribe dwelling in an extensive territory between the Sequana (Seine) and the Liger (Loire) rivers during the Iron Age and the Roman period. Name They are mentioned as ''Carnu ...

, which are of the same length. The left part is broad, and is also covered and hooked with microspicules. The middle part is bifurcate, and the last one is slender and a bit pointy, with a little distal hook.

Female genitalia

The female's posterior edge is distinct and U-shaped. The vigina of the sinus is funnel shaped, and is wider than the width of the

ductus bursae In anatomy and physiology, a duct is a circumscribed channel leading from an exocrine gland or organ. Types of ducts Examples include: Duct system As ducts travel from the acinus which generates the fluid to the target, the ducts become larger ...

. Their

ductus seminalis In anatomy and physiology, a duct is a circumscribed channel leading from an exocrine gland or organ. Types of ducts Examples include: Duct system As ducts travel from the acinus which generates the fluid to the target, the ducts become larger ...

is small and oval shaped, and is placed next to the posterior part of doctus borsae. The species is similar to ''

Mompha bradleyi ''Mompha bradleyi'' is a moth in the family Momphidae found in Europe. Description The wingspan is . Adults are on wing from mid-July to the end of May of the following year after overwintering. There is one generation per year. The larvae feed ...

'', ''

Mompha confusella ''Mompha confusella'' is a moth in the family Momphidae. It found from central and southern Europe to Transcaucasia. In Europe, it has been recorded from the Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, Ukraine and Russia. The wingspan is . Adult ...

'', and '' Mompha subdivisella''.

Ecology

The larvae feed on willowherbs (''

Epilobium ''Epilobium'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Onagraceae, containing about 197 species. The genus has a worldwide distribution. It is most prevalent in the subarctic, temperate and subantarctic regions, whereas in the subtropics ...

'') species, including broad-leaved willowherb (''

Epilobium montanum ''Epilobium montanum'' or Broad-leaved Willowherb is a species of flowering plant in the willowherb family Onagraceae The Onagraceae are a family of flowering plants known as the willowherb family or evening primrose family. They include about ...

''), marsh willowherb (''

Epilobium palustre ''Epilobium palustre'' is a species of willowherb known by the common name marsh willowherb. This plant has a circumboreal distribution, and can be found farther south in mountainous areas. Description This is a hairy perennial growing spindly s ...

''), hoary willowherb (''

Epilobium parviflorum ''Epilobium parviflorum'', commonly known as the hoary willowherb or smallflower hairy willowherb, is a herbaceous perennial plant of the family Onagraceae. Etymology The genus name derives from the Greek words "epi" meaning "upon" and "lobos" ...

''), and spear-leaved willowherb ('' Epilobium lanceolatum''). They have also been recorded on ''

Epilobium alpinum ''Epilobium'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Onagraceae, containing about 197 species. The genus has a worldwide distribution. It is most prevalent in the subarctic, temperate and subantarctic regions, whereas in the subtropics ...

'' and rosebay willowherb (''

Chamaenerion angustifolium ''Chamaenerion angustifolium'' is a perennial herbaceous flowering plant in the willowherb family Onagraceae. It is known in North America as fireweed, in some parts of Canada as great willowherb, in Britain and Ireland as rosebay willowherb. In ...

'').

Finnish diet

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bo ...

, the species feeds on fringed willowherb ('' Epilobium adenocaulon'').

References

External links

Lepiforum e. V.

''Mompha divisella'' at UKmoths
{{Taxonbar, from=Q293210 Momphidae Gall-inducing insects Moths described in 1854 Moths of Asia Moths of Europe Taxa named by Gottlieb August Wilhelm Herrich-Schäffer