Genus Cosmopterix

Cosmopterix Hübner, 1825

The North and South American species were reviewed by Koster (2010).

Generic epithet Cosmopterix is Greek meaning "ornamental wings." (1)

31 species recorded in our area (2).

Wingspan about 9-12 mm.

Helpful features for identifying Cosmopterix include the coloring of the antennal segments, the width and length of the basal lines (the three parallel silver lines on the wings closest to the wing base), whether or not lines are present on the thorax, and location of the silver spots that surround the transverse fascia (the wide orange band). If you include the above features in your photos, you are more likely to get an accurate ID.

Much of North America and the world.

Larvae are leaf miners in grasses, sedges, and other herbaceous plants.

Busck, A. 1906. A review of the American moths of the genus Cosmopteryx Hübner. (3)

Covell, p. 439, plate 63#8--C. gemiferella (4)

Koster, J. C. 2010. The genera Cosmopterix Hübner and Pebobs Hodges in the New World with special attention to the Neotropical fauna (Lepidoptera: Cosmopterigidae). Zoologische Mededelingen 84: 251-575. (PDF)

adult images of C. clemensella (Larry Line, Maryland)

live adult images of holarctic species C. pulchrimella, plus description and food plant (Pedro Pires and Mark Lawlor, UK Moths)

adult image of undetermined Cosmopterix species from Australia, plus description and food plants (Graeme Cocks, U. of Sydney, Australia)

photo of leaf mine on hops leaf, caused by a European species of Cosmopterix (British Leafminers, leafmines.co.uk)

Cosmopterigidae - Moth Photographers Group