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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera) » Twirler Moths and kin (Gelechioidea) » Twirler Moths (Gelechiidae) » Apatetrinae » Apatetrini » Chrysoesthia » Chrysoesthia sexguttella - Hodges#1719 (Chrysoesthia sexguttella)

Species Chrysoesthia sexguttella - Hodges#1719

Classification · Hodges Number · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Season · Food · Life Cycle · See Also · Internet References

Leaf Mines ID Request - Chrysoesthia sexguttella

Orache Leafminer Moth - Chrysoesthia sexguttella

colorful micromoth - Chrysoesthia sexguttella

Show images of: caterpillars · adults · both

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)

Superfamily Gelechioidea (Twirler Moths and kin)

Family Gelechiidae (Twirler Moths)

Subfamily Apatetrinae

Tribe Apatetrini

Genus Chrysoesthia

Species sexguttella (Chrysoesthia sexguttella - Hodges#1719)

Hodges Number

1719

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

Microsetia sexguttella

Explanation of Names

Author: Thunberg, 1794

sexguttella means "six drops"; refers to the six drop-like spots on the forewings (three on each wing)

Numbers

one of 4 species in this genus in North America listed at All-Leps

Size

wingspan 8-10 mm, based on three Internet photos

Identification

Adult: forewing slender, almost parallel-sided, with wide fringe on outer margin, especially at anal angle, where the fringe forms a tuft that projects upward when the moth is at rest with its wings held together over the abdomen; forewing dark gray or blackish with three large orangish-yellow spots (sometimes reduced): one crossing the wing near the base, a second spot halfway along the inner margin, and another spot about two-thirds distance along costa; hindwing thin, gray, with wide fringe of hair-like scales

Range

northeastern North America, introduced from Europe or north Africa, where it is widespread

see genus page for distribution of other Chrysoesthia species.

Its host plant, goosefoot or lambs-quarters (Chenopodium spp. is also non-native.

Habitat

fields, roadsides, waste places where foodplants grow

Season

in Europe, adults fly in May and June, and again in August and September

Food

larvae feed on members of the goosefoot family (Chenopodiaceae) such as orache or saltbush (Atriplex spp.) and goosefoot or lambs-quarters (Chenopodium spp.)

Life Cycle

larvae are leaf-miners, forming a contorted gallery on the surface of leaves; two generations per year

Leaf mine, larva, pupae, adult

See Also

C. drurella has extensive orange on much of the forewing, interspersed with metallic silvery markings

Internet References

MPG

Barcode of Life (BOLD)

live adult image by Ian Smith, plus life cycle, flight season, foodplants, habitat (Ian Kimber, UK Moths)

pinned adult image by SangMi Lee (Moth Photographers Group)

pinned adult image plus other info (Bert Gustafsson, Swedish Museum of Natural History)

pinned adult image (Kimmo and Seppo Silvonen, Finland)

presence in Ontario; list - search on "Chrysoesthia" (NHIC; Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources)

images of leaf mines and larva, forestpests.org

Contributed by Robin McLeod on 24 July, 2006 - 7:36pm
Additional contributions by Beatriz Moisset, ceiseman, Blocky, Steve Morris
Last updated 30 January, 2023 - 9:44am

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