Glyphipterix equitella

Glyphipterix equitella is a moth of the family Glyphipterigidae. It is found from Fennoscandia to the Iberian Peninsula, Sardinia, Sicily and Crete and from Ireland to Romania.

Sprig of Sedum acre with mined leaves

Larva

Glyphipterix equitella
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Glyphipterigidae
Genus:	Glyphipterix
Species:	G. equitella
Binomial name
Glyphipterix equitella (Scopoli, 1763)[1]
Synonyms
Phalaena equitella Scopoli, 1763 Glyphipteryx crassilunella Rebel, 1916 Aechmia majorella von Heinemann & Wocke, [1876] Aechmia minorella Snellen, 1882 Glyphipterix minorella Glyphipteryx zermattensis Amsel, 1933 Glyphipteryx sexguttella Toll, 1936

The wingspan is 9–10 mm. The forewings are dark bronzy fuscous; from five to seven white streaks from posterior half of costa, first markedly broadest and most oblique, others sometimes bright leaden -metallic in disc ; a curved very oblique white streak from middle of dorsum, reaching half across wing ; an erect silvery-metallic mark before tornus ; a silvery-metallic mark along tornal margin ; a blackish apical spot ; dark line of cilia indented below apex ; a dark hook above apex. Hindwings are grey.The larva is pale yellow; head and plate of 2 black[2]

Adults are on wing from June to July in one generation per year.[3]

The larvae feed on Sedum acre and Sedum anglicum. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The larva mines out a leaf completely and often also mines part of the stem. Pupation takes place outside of the mine.[4] Full-grown larvae can be found in late May. The larvae are pale yellow with a black head.