Brenthia leptocosma

Brenthia leptocosma
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Choreutidae
Genus:	Brenthia
Species:	B. leptocosma
Binomial name
	Brenthia leptocosma; Meyrick, 1916

Brenthia leptocosma is a species of moth of the family Choreutidae. It is found on Mauritius and Réunion^[2] in the Indian Ocean.

This species has a wingspan of 8–9 mm, the head is bronzy-fuscous with a white line above the eyes. The thorax is bronzy-fuscous with five fine white longitudinal lines. The abdomen is dark fuscous. Forewings are elongate-triangular, costa gently arched, dark bronzy-fuscous, irregularly irrorated (speckled) with white and white dots on costa beyond. There is a series of eight small rounded-oblong spots round apex and termen, each centered with a violet-metallic dot. The hindwings are rather dark-fuscous, with a small oblique-oval whitish spot in the middle of the disc, a fine violet-blue-metallic line just before termen from apex to below middle, followed by three or four black spots.

This species is similar to Brenthia cyanaula in markings, but the palpi are quite different and characteristic.^[3]

Host plants of this species are Boraginaceae bushes, (mainly but also Cordia myxa, Cordia abyssinica and ).^[4] but also on Ehretia cymosa and Cordia africana. None of these species are native to Mauritius, nor Réunion.

References[]

^ "Afro Moths". Afro Moths. Retrieved 2011-12-19.
^ Bippus, M., 2020. Records of Lepidoptera from the Malagasy region with description of new species (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae, Noctuidae, Alucitidae, Choreutidae, Euteliidae, Gelechiidae, Blastobasidae, Pterophoridae, Tonzidae, Tineidae, Praydidae, Cosmopterigidae, Batrachedridae). - Phelsuma 28: 60-100
^ Meyrick, E. 1916a. Exotic Microlepidoptera 1. - 1(16–20): page 560. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
^ Williams J.R., 1951, The bionomics and morphology of Brenthia leptocosma Meyrick

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[1] "Afro Moths". Afro Moths. Retrieved 2011-12-19.

[2] Bippus, M., 2020. Records of Lepidoptera from the Malagasy region with description of new species (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae, Noctuidae, Alucitidae, Choreutidae, Euteliidae, Gelechiidae, Blastobasidae, Pterophoridae, Tonzidae, Tineidae, Praydidae, Cosmopterigidae, Batrachedridae). - Phelsuma 28: 60-100

[3] Meyrick, E. 1916a. Exotic Microlepidoptera 1. - 1(16–20): page 560. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

[4] Williams J.R., 1951, The bionomics and morphology of Brenthia leptocosma Meyrick

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