Metzneria aprilella, the brilliant neb, is a moth of the family Gelechiidae. It is widely distributed throughout Europe. Outside of Europe, it is found in Turkey, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Iran and southern Siberia.[2] The habitat consists of waste ground and grassland.

Metzneria aprilella
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Gelechiidae
Genus: Metzneria
Species:
M. aprilella
Binomial name
Metzneria aprilella
Synonyms
  • Parasia aprilella Herrich-Schäffer, 1854
  • Metzneria igneella Tengström, 1859
  • Metzneria sanguinolentella de Joannis, 1910

The wingspan is 13–18 mm. Adults are on wing from May to August.[3]

The larvae feed on Centaurea scabiosa and Centaurea solstitialis. They feed on the seeds from within the seedhead.[4]

References

edit
  1. ^ Fauna Europaea
  2. ^ Junnilainen, J. et al. 2010: The gelechiid fauna of the southern Ural Mountains, part II: list of recorded species with taxonomic notes (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae). Zootaxa, 2367: 1–68. Preview
  3. ^ Microlepidoptera.nl Archived 2013-10-04 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ UKMoths