Caloptilia betulicola, the red birch slender, is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is found from Scandinavia and the north of European Russia to the Pyrenees and Alps and from Ireland to Poland and Slovakia. In the east it is found up to China, Japan and the Russian Far East.
The wingspan is . It is very similar to Caloptilia elongella and both species are quite variable.Identification requires microscopic examination of the genitalia.Kuznetsov V.I., 1990 Gracillariidae; in G.S. Medvedev (ed.): Keys to the insects of the europaean part of the USSR, Vol.IV: Lepidoptera, part 2 (english translation), Oxonian Press Pvt.Ltd., New Dehli, 1987Heath, J. & Emmet, A. M. (Hrsg.) (1985): The Moths and Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland. Volume 2: Cossidae – Heliodinidae. Harley Books, Colchester, Essex.
There are two generations per year, with adults on wing in June and July and again in September and October.UKmoths
The larvae feed on Betula pendula and Betula pubecens. They mine the leaves of their host plant.
References
External links Lepiforum.de