Epermenia profugella

Epermenia profugella, also known as the little lance-wing is a moth of the family Epermeniidae found in northern, central and eastern Europe.^[2] The moth was first described by Henry Tibbats Stainton in 1856, from a specimen found in Kemsing, Kent, England.^[3]

Description[]

The wingspan is 8–10 mm.^[4] The forewings are dull greyish bronze, tinged with fuscous and the hindwings are dark grey.^[5]

Ova, are probably laid on the seeds of ground-elder (Aegopodium podagraria), angelica (Angelica sylvestris), wild carrot (Daucus carota) and burnet-saxifrage (Pimpinella saxifraga).^[6] The larvae feed within the seeds, spinning two or three together during September and October. Feeding is inconspicuous, but larvae can sometimes be seen on the outside of seeds.^[3] The species overwinters in the pupal stage within a flimsy cocoon on the ground.^[7][3]

References[]