Mesophleps trinotella

Mesophleps trinotella
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Gelechiidae
Genus:	Mesophleps
Species:	M. trinotella
Binomial name
Mesophleps trinotella Herrich-Schäffer, 1856
Synonyms
Crossobela trinotella Mesophleps trinotellus Uncustriodonta trinotella Xystophora aurantiella Rebel, 1915 Crossobela barysphena Meyrick, 1923 Batrachedra subtilipennis Turati, 1924

Mesophleps trinotella is a moth of the Gelechiidae family. It is found in Portugal, Spain (including the Balearic Islands), France, Italy, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Turkey, Morocco, Algeria and Libya, as well as on Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily and Cyprus.

The wingspan is 8–14.5 mm. The forewings are ochre, the costal and dorsal margin and apex dark brown, mixed with white-tipped scales. Adults are on wing from late May to September in one or two generations per year.

The larvae feed on Erysimum cheiri, Erysimum marschallianum, Erysimum hieraciifolium, Moricandia arvensis and possibly other Cruciferae species. They live in the fruit and feed on the seeds. Pupation takes place in the seed capsule. The larvae can be found in August.^[1]

References

1. Li, H.-h. & K. Sattler, 2012: A taxonomic revision of the genus Mesophleps Hübner, 1825 (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae). Zootaxa 3373: 1-82.