Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
BugGuide currently follows the moth classification and nomenclature used at
Moth Photographers Group.
Explanation of Names
From the type genus
Cosmopterix. Generic epithet
Cosmopterix is Greek meaning "ornamental wings."
(1)Numbers
About 181 species in 26 genera in 3 subfamilies in North America. At least 1,628 species in 106 genera worldwide.
Identification
Small to minute moths. Labial palps long, curving upward, often sickle-shaped. Forewing and hindwing lancelike. Forewing shape varies from narrow to extremely narrow; hindwing usually extremely narrow. Wings often brightly marked.
Range
much of North America and the world
Season
adult flight season ranges from March to November (varies according to species)
Food
diverse feeding habits: includes bark and leaf miners, seed borers, gall makers, seed & flower bud feeders, and scavengers on dead plant material; one genus is parasitic on armored scale insects
Print References
Hodges, 1969 (downloadable)
(5)
Koster, 2010
(7)(downloadable
here)
Internet References
technical description plus pinned adult image of undeterminied cosmopterigid and other info (Gerald Fauske, Moths of North Dakota)
common name reference [Cosmet Moths] (Tree of Life, tolweb.org)