Enteucha acetosae

Description

Enteucha acetosae, the pygmy sorrel moth, is a moth of the Nepticulidae family. It is found from Sweden to the Pyrenees, Alps and Serbia and from Ireland to Romania. The wingspan is 3–4 mm. (one of the world's smallest moths) The head is fuscous to blackish. Antennal eyecaps whitish. Forewings shining bronze ; a broad shining silvery fascia at 3/4, preceded by a fuscous suffusion apical area beyond this rather dark purplish-fuscous. Hindwings grey. There are two to three generations in western and central Europe The larvae feed on Rumex acetosa, Rumex alpestris and Rumex acetosella. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine consists of a narrow, hardly widening spiral corridor that makes about five whole or half circles closely around the egg. The leaf tissue around the mine is intensely reddened. There are often several mines in a single leaf. The frass is deposited in a narrow central line. Pupation takes place outside of the mine.