British Insects: the Families of Lepidoptera


L. Watson and M. J. Dallwitz


Adults relatively long-bodied; wings in repose packed with the forewings directed backwards to cover hindwings and abdomen.

Head smooth (-scaled). Antennae long; extending to about about 0.8 times the length of the forewing. Antennae of males simple; non-ciliate. The antennal scape without a pecten; not forming an ‘eye cap’ (?). Ocelli present (prominent). Chaetosemata absent. Maxillary palps much reduced; 1 segmented (?). Labial palps drooping (short). Proboscis fully developed; not scaly.

Wingspan 8–10 mm. Forewings narrow; about 4.9–5.2 times as long as wide. Tornus undetectable. Forewings apically pointed; ground colour predominantly dark fuscous. Hindwings narrow-elongate and very long-fringed; linear-lanceolate to lanceolate; quite markedly narrower than the forewings to similar in breadth to the forewings; with a pointed apex. The fringe of the hindwings about 4 times the width of the membrane. The upper surfaces plain; with neither discal spot nor transverse lines; hindwings with a frenulum.

Neuration of forewings and hindwings dissimilar. Forewings 11–12 veined (vein 5 absent); with 1 anal vein to with 2 anal veins. The anal veins of the forewings representing 1b only, or comprising 1b and 1c (a weak 1c sometimes present). Forewings exhibiting a tubular vein 1c to lacking a tubular vein 1c (weak or absent). Vein 1b of the forewings furcate proximally. The transverse vein complete to incomplete. Discal cell of the forewings without a tubular media (M) vein. Hindwings with well developed neuration to with greatly reduced neuration; 6 veined, or 7 veined; with 1 anal vein, or lacking anal veins. The anal veins of the hindwings uninterpretable. Hindwings seemingly lacking a tubular vein 1c; without a discal cell. The transverse vein lacking. Vein 8 of the hindwings not approximating to vein 7. Hindwings lacking vein 3.

Fore-legs with a tibial epiphysis (?). Tibiae of middle legs 2-spurred. Posterior tibiae 4-spurred; hairy (with long hair-scales).

Eggs, larvae and pupae. Larval prolegs 10. Larvae concealed feeders; leaf-mining (not in Britain), or not leaf-mining; wood- or stem- boring (the British species in stems of Echium). Associated with Boraginaceae.

Pupae concealed; above the ground; in stems.

British representation. Genera 1; 1 species (Tinagmna ocnerostomella).

Classification. Microlepidoptera. Suborder Ditrysia. Superfamily Tineoidea.

Illustrations. • Tinagma ocnerostomella. • Douglasia ocnerostomella, neuration.

To view illustrations with legends giving names in current use, go to the interactive key. This also offers full and partial descriptions, diagnostic descriptions, differences and similarities between taxa, lists of taxa exhibiting or lacking specified attributes, and distributions of character states within any set of taxa, as well as source references and other relevant material.

Cite this publication as: ‘Watson, L., and Dallwitz, M.J. 2003 onwards. British insects: the families of Lepidoptera. Version: 29th December 2011.’.