07.002 Nemophora metallica (Scabious Longhorn)
ws: 15-20mm (MBGBI1), fw: 7.5-10mm (Sterling & Parsons); Jun-Jul; field scabious (Knautia arvensis), small scabious (Scabiosa columbaria); local in S England
Nemophora metallica §3 male
ID: Forewing >7mm, bronzy-gold, without a median fascia or black basal streak; tegulae bronzy-gold.
There a 5 species of Adelinae that lack a median fascia. C.rufimitrella is small (fw 4.5-6mm) with predominantly black hairs on head. A.cuprella and N.cupriacella are average smaller but the size ranges overlap at fw lengths 7.5 - 8mm; A.cuprella has a coppery apex and N.cupriacella has the whole apical half suffused purplish. A.reumurella has a darker bronzy-green forewing with black hairs on head (mixed with yellow in female). So N.metallica is distinct in having a uniformly bronzy-gold forewing (with a purplish costa) and orange-yellow head hair.
The antenna is 2.5x fw length in male and 1.5x in female; it is blackish in the basal 2/5 and white in the apical 3/5 in both sexes
There a 5 species of Adelinae that lack a median fascia. C.rufimitrella is small (fw 4.5-6mm) with predominantly black hairs on head. A.cuprella and N.cupriacella are average smaller but the size ranges overlap at fw lengths 7.5 - 8mm; A.cuprella has a coppery apex and N.cupriacella has the whole apical half suffused purplish. A.reumurella has a darker bronzy-green forewing with black hairs on head (mixed with yellow in female). So N.metallica is distinct in having a uniformly bronzy-gold forewing (with a purplish costa) and orange-yellow head hair.
The antenna is 2.5x fw length in male and 1.5x in female; it is blackish in the basal 2/5 and white in the apical 3/5 in both sexes
§1 Cranwich camp, Norfolk; 29/06/2017; female
§2 Cranwich camp, Norfolk; 29/06/2017; male
§3 Cranwich camp, Norfolk; 29/06/2017; male
§4 Cranwich camp, Norfolk; 29/06/2017; female
§5 Cranwich camp, Norfolk; 29/06/2017; female
All images © Chris Lewis
§2 Cranwich camp, Norfolk; 29/06/2017; male
§3 Cranwich camp, Norfolk; 29/06/2017; male
§4 Cranwich camp, Norfolk; 29/06/2017; female
§5 Cranwich camp, Norfolk; 29/06/2017; female
All images © Chris Lewis
Page published 01/07/2017 (§1-5) | Dissection images added 08/10/2017
