Cosmopterix is a large genus of moth in the family Cosmopterigidae (cosmet moths).
Description Adult
Cosmopterix species are very small to small moths with a forewing length of 2.9-6.5 mm. Head smooth-scaled, rather long and narrow caused by the large and bent scales on the vertex; frons distinctly lighter than vertex, from vertex to neck tufts often a median and/or two lateral white lines; antenna three-quarters to four-fifths of the length of forewing, often slightly serrate distally, and generally with a white, often partly interrupted, anterior line and several white sections in the apical part; labial palpus cylindrical, porrect, apical segment strongly angled upwards and often reaching well above the head. Thorax with or without a median white line, tegulae often lined white inwardly. Forewing narrowly lanceolate with long and very narrowly protruding apex and usually with a very characteristic yellow or orange fascia beyond the middle, this fascia bordered by tubercular metallic fasciae or spots; basal area with a metallic fascia or spots or with three to six longitudinal lines of different length, cilia concolorous around apex, paler towards dorsum. Hindwing almost linear, less than half the width of forewing and acutely pointed, from pale yellow to dark grey, without markings, cilia concolorous without ciliary lines. The forewing can generally be divided into three parts: The basal area from base to middle of wing, followed by the broad transverse fascia and beyond this the apical area. The basal area generally with a series of longitudinal lines, often very narrow or a single and oblique, sometimes interrupted, fascia. The lines are mentioned from costa to dorsum as the costal, the subcostal, the medial, the subdorsal and the dorsal line. The transverse fascia is strikingly coloured from pale yellow to orange and in combination with the narrow wings it makes the species of Cosmopterix and Pebobs easy recognisable. The transverse fascia is always more or less edged on both sides by fasciae or spots. These fascia or spots consist of very strikingly silver or golden metallic coloured tubercular scales. Some species partly or completely lack the yellowish colour of the transverse fascia. However, the presence of the ‘fascia’ can be observed by the lining tubercular fasciae or spots. The transverse fascia can be edged by a combination of inner and outer fasciae and/or by an inner and outer (sub)costal and (sub)dorsal spots. Sometimes the (sub)costal and (sub)dorsal spots are situated inside the transverse fascia. The apical area is generally concolorous with the basal area, but occasionally the colouration differs. In the centre or on the dorsal side of the apical area is a longitudinal apical line, running from the transverse fascia to apex of forewing. This line is often interrupted or only present as one or more dots or streaks. Markings of the costal and dorsal cilia of the forewing are as follows: a white streak from outer costal spot in almost all of the species, a white streak or spot connected to the apical line is very common, and occasionally there is a white streak from outer dorsal spot. For identification of the species by the external features, mainly the markings of the head, thorax and forewing are of diagnostic importance. Wing venation with 12 veins in forewing and 7 veins in hindwing. Forewing with Sc and R1-R4 to costa; R5 directing towards the narrow tip; M1-CuA2 to termen; CuP very weak and not reaching termen; 1A+2A with basal fork, to dorsum. Hindwing Sc and Rs to costa; M1-CuA2 to termen; veins often not fully developed due to the narrow shape of the hindwing.
Biology The larvae are leaf miners on a large diversity of usually herbaceous plants. They have been found oligophagous or even monophagous on the following plant families: Asteraceae, Cannabaceae, Convolvulaceae, Cyperaceae, Poaceae, Fabaceae, Urticaceae. The mines are blotch mines and in several species the larvae more or less frequently change mines. Larvae of other species stay in a single mine during their complete development and leave the mine only prior to pupation or pupate inside the mine. In several species the larva constructs a silken tunnel inside the mine in which it hides when not feeding or when disturbed. In colder climates species usually have one generation where hibernation takes place in the larval stage in a cocoon in or outside the mine. Pupation takes place in spring. In warmer climates the species have more than one, sometimes overlapping, generations.
For Cosmopterix gomezpompai a twirling behaviour has been observed by the adult. In this case the moth runs on the upper side of a leaf and simultaneously makes very fast circling movements. As soon as it comes across something unusual on the surface, like a spot, the circling slows down and is concentrated on that spot. It appears that it is feeding mostly on the dark brown spots (most likely a part of a bird dropping) on the leaf. Probably the moth is looking for nutrition. The twirling behaviour, without the possible feeding, has also been observed with Cosmopterix pulchrimella in Greece. This behaviour is described for Cosmopterix victor and also for a species of the family Gelechiidae.
Selected species
Cosmopterix abnormalis Walsingham, 1897 Cosmopterix aculeata Meyrick, 1909 Cosmopterix acutivalva Kuroko, 1987 Cosmopterix adrastea Koster, 2010 Cosmopterix albicaudis Meyrick, 1932 Cosmopterix amalthea Koster, 2010 Cosmopterix anadoxa Meyrick, 1909 Cosmopterix ananke Koster, 2010 Cosmopterix ancalodes Meyrick, 1909 Cosmopterix ancistraea Meyrick, 1913 Cosmopterix angoonae Kuroko, 1987 Cosmopterix antemidora Meyrick, 1909 Cosmopterix antichorda Meyrick, 1909 Cosmopterix aphranassa Meyrick, 1926 Cosmopterix argentifera Koster, 2010 Cosmopterix argentitegulella Sinev, 1985 Cosmopterix artifica Meyrick, 1909 Cosmopterix asiatica Stainton, 1859 Cosmopterix asignella Sinev, 1988 Cosmopterix astrapias Walsingham, 1909 Cosmopterix asymmetrella Sinev, 1993 Cosmopterix athesiae Huemer & Koster 2006 Cosmopterix attenuatella Walker, 1864 Cosmopterix aurella Bradley, 1959 Cosmopterix aurotegulae Koster, 2010 Cosmopterix bacata Hodges, 1962 Cosmopterix bactrophora Meyrick, 1908 Cosmopterix baihashanella Kuroko & Y.Q. Liu, 2005 Cosmopterix bambusae Meyrick, 1917 Cosmopterix basilisca Meyrick, 1909 Cosmopterix beckeri Koster, 2010 Cosmopterix belonacma Meyrick, 1909 Cosmopterix bichromella Sinev & Park, 1994 Cosmopterix bifidiguttata Kuroko & Y.Q. Liu, 2005 Cosmopterix brachyclina Meyrick, 1933 Cosmopterix brevicaudella Kuroko & Y.Q. Liu, 2005 Cosmopterix callichalca Meyrick, 1922 Cosmopterix callinympha Meyrick, 1913 Cosmopterix calliochra Turner, 1926 Cosmopterix callisto Koster, 2010 Cosmopterix calypso Meyrick, 1919 Cosmopterix carpo Koster, 2010 Cosmopterix catharacma Meyrick, 1909 Cosmopterix chalcelata Turner, 1923 Cosmopterix chaldene Koster, 2010 Cosmopterix chalupae Koster, 2010 Cosmopterix chalybaeella Walsingham, 1889 Cosmopterix chasanica Sinev, 1985 Cosmopterix chisosensis Hodges, 1978 Cosmopterix chlorochalca Meyrick, 1915 Cosmopterix chlorochalca Meyrick, 1915 Cosmopterix chrysobela Meyrick, 1928 Cosmopterix chrysocrates Meyrick, 1919 Cosmopterix circe Meyrick, 1921 Cosmopterix citrinopa Meyrick, 1915 Cosmopterix clandestinella Busck, 1906 Cosmopterix clemensella Stainton, 1860 Cosmopterix cleophanes Meyrick, 1937 Cosmopterix cognita Walsingham, 1891 Cosmopterix complicata Kuroko, 1987 Cosmopterix coryphaea Walsingham, 1908 Cosmopterix crassicervicella Chretien, 1896 Cosmopterix cuprea Lower, 1916 Cosmopterix cyclopaea Meyrick, 1909 Cosmopterix dacryodes Meyrick, 1911 Cosmopterix damnosa Hodges, 1962 Cosmopterix dapifera Hodges, 1962 Cosmopterix delicatella Walsingham, 1889 Cosmopterix diandra Clarke, 1986 Cosmopterix diaphora Walsingham, 1909 Cosmopterix diplozona Meyrick, 1921 Cosmopterix dulcivora Meyrick, 1919 Cosmopterix ebriola Hodges, 1962 Cosmopterix emmolybda Meyrick, 1914 Cosmopterix epismaragda Meyrick, 1932 Cosmopterix epizona Meyrick, 1897 Cosmopterix erasmia Meyrick, 1915 Cosmopterix erethista Meyrick, 1909 Cosmopterix erinome Koster, 2010 Cosmopterix ermolaevi Sinev, 1985 Cosmopterix etmylaurae Koster, 2010 Cosmopterix euanthe Koster, 2010 Cosmopterix eukelade Koster, 2010 Cosmopterix euporie Koster, 2010 Cosmopterix facunda Hodges, 1978 Cosmopterix feminella Sinev, 1988 Cosmopterix fernaldella Walsingham, 1882 Cosmopterix flava Sinev, 1986 Cosmopterix flavidella Kuroko, 2011 Cosmopterix floridanella Beutenmüller, 1889 Cosmopterix fulminella Stringer, 1930 Cosmopterix galapagosensis Landry, 2001 Cosmopterix ganymedes Koster, 2010 Cosmopterix geminella Sinev, 1985 Cosmopterix gemmiferella Clemens, 1860 Cosmopterix gielisorum Koster, 2010 Cosmopterix glaucogramma Meyrick, 1934 Cosmopterix gloriosa Meyrick, 1922 Cosmopterix gomezpompai Koster, 2010 Cosmopterix gracilis Sinev, 1985 Cosmopterix gramineella Kuroko, 1987 Cosmopterix hamifera Meyrick, 1909 Cosmopterix harpalyke Koster, 2010 Cosmopterix heliactis Meyrick, 1897 Cosmopterix helike Koster, 2010 Cosmopterix hermippe Koster, 2010 Cosmopterix hieraspis Meyrick, 1924 Cosmopterix himalia Koster, 2010 Cosmopterix holophracta Meyrick, 1909 Cosmopterix inaugurata Meyrick, 1922 Cosmopterix infundibulella Sinev, 1988 Cosmopterix ingeniosa Meyrick, 1909 Cosmopterix inopis Hodges, 1962 Cosmopterix interfracta Meyrick, 1922 Cosmopterix io Koster, 2010 Cosmopterix iocaste Koster, 2010 Cosmopterix iphigona Meyrick, 1915 Cosmopterix irrubricata Walsingham, 1909 Cosmopterix isoteles Meyrick, 1919 Cosmopterix isotoma Meyrick, 1915 Cosmopterix issikiella Kuroko, 1957 Cosmopterix javanica Kuroko, 2011 Cosmopterix jiangxiella Kuroko & Y.Q. Liu, 2005 Cosmopterix karsholti Koster, 2010 Cosmopterix kerzhneri Sinev, 1982 Cosmopterix kurilensis Sinev, 1985 Cosmopterix kurokoi Sinev, 1985 Cosmopterix kuznetzovi Sinev, 1988 Cosmopterix laetifica Meyrick, 1909 Cosmopterix laetificoides Sinev, 1993 Cosmopterix langmaidi Koster, 2010 Cosmopterix latilineata Kuroko, 1987 Cosmopterix lautissimella Amsel, 1968 Cosmopterix lespedezae Walsingham, 1882 Cosmopterix licnura Meyrick, 1909 Cosmopterix lienigiella Zeller, 1846 Cosmopterix ligyrodes Meyrick, 1915 Cosmopterix longilineata Kuroko, 1987 Cosmopterix longivalvella Kuroko & Y.Q. Liu, 2005 Cosmopterix lummyae Koster, 2010 Cosmopterix lungsuana Kuroko, 2008 Cosmopterix luteoapicalis Sinev, 2002 Cosmopterix lysithea Koster, 2010 Cosmopterix macroglossa Meyrick, 1913 Cosmopterix macrula Meyrick, 1897 Cosmopterix madeleinae Landry, 2001 Cosmopterix magophila Meyrick, 1919 Cosmopterix manipularis Meyrick, 1909 Cosmopterix margaritae Kuroko, 2011 Cosmopterix maritimella Sinev, 1985 Cosmopterix melanarches Meyrick, 1928 Cosmopterix metis Koster, 2010 Cosmopterix minutella Beutenmüller, 1889 Cosmopterix mneme Koster, 2010 Cosmopterix molybdina Hodges, 1962 Cosmopterix montisella Chambers, 1875 Cosmopterix mystica Meyrick, 1897 Cosmopterix nanshanella Kuroko & Y.Q. Liu, 2005 Cosmopterix navarroi Koster, 2010 Cosmopterix neodesma Meyrick, 1915 Cosmopterix nieukerkeni Koster, 2010 Cosmopterix nishidai Koster, 2010 Cosmopterix nitens Walsingham, 1889 Cosmopterix nonna Clarke, 1986 Cosmopterix nyctiphanes Meyrick, 1915 Cosmopterix ochleria Walsingham, 1909 Cosmopterix omelkoi Sinev, 1993 Cosmopterix opulenta Braun, 1919 Cosmopterix orichalcea Stainton, 1861 Cosmopterix ornithognathosella Mey, 1998 Cosmopterix orthosie Koster, 2010 Cosmopterix oxyglossa Meyrick, 1909 Cosmopterix pallifasciella Snellen, 1897 Cosmopterix paltophanes Meyrick, 1909 Cosmopterix panayella Mey, 1998 Cosmopterix panopla Meyrick, 1909 Cosmopterix pararufella Riedl, 1976 Cosmopterix pentachorda Meyrick, 1915 Cosmopterix phaeogastra Meyrick, 1917 Cosmopterix phaesphora Turner, 1923 Cosmopterix phyladelphella Sinev, 1985 Cosmopterix phyllostachysea Kuroko, 1975 Cosmopterix pimmaarteni Koster, 2010 Cosmopterix plesiasta Meyrick, 1919