Endothenia pauperculana

• Subfamily: Olethreutinae, Endotheniini
• Wingspan: 08-12 mm
• Flight period: Apr - Aug
• Spread: Uncommon
• Host plants: Lamiaceae

Information

The Endothenia pauperculana is one of the smallest moths of the Tortricidae family, subfamily Olethreutinae, with a wingspan of 8-12 mm.
It is widespread in south-western Europe in particular we can find it in Portugal, Spain, France and Switzerland. *
In Italy it is also present in Sardinia . *

The front wings of Endothenia pauperculana have a cream-colored background, with ocher and brown streaks, more marked in the post-discal and marginal region. An ocher band crosses the wing at about half the length. Another band of the same color as the previous one, less distinct, is visible in the basal region, the apical ocello not well defined is ocher in color.

The costa has small signs, such as a hatch in brown and ocher colors. The edge of the wing is defined by a brown line in turn edged in white towards the outside. The wing is fringed and the fringes are faded brown. **, ***

The rear wing is white with brown shades towards the edge, with white fringes. **

Adults are visible from June to August. However, there are recordings in April and September, such as the example of the photos (06/09/2015), which suggests that it has at least two generations.
The habitats range from the Mediterranean scrub to the edges of pine forests or limestone meadows and road edges. **, ***

The larvae feed on Lamiaceae of Marrubium vulgare and Sideritis hirsuta. *


* Lepidoptera mundi https://lepidoptera.eu/ - Fauna Europea https://fauna-eu.org/
** Bestimmungshilfe für die in Europa nachgewiesenen Schmetterlingsarten - http://lepiforum.de/
*** Doremi G.- Tortricidae della Bassa Friulana - Osservazioni dal 2010 al 2017 pp.13-14 - https://www.academia.edu/35940769/Tortricidae_della_Bassa_Friulana