Eteobalea serratella is a moth in the family Cosmopterigidae. It is found in most of Europe, except the Benelux, Great Britain, Ireland, Iceland, Fennoscandia and the Baltic states.[2] It was approved for release in the United States in 1995 for the biological control of toadflax. A few field releases have been made in western Canada and the western United States, but no established populations have been confirmed.[3]

Eteobalea serratella
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Cosmopterigidae
Genus: Eteobalea
Species:
E. serratella
Binomial name
Eteobalea serratella
Synonyms
  • Oecophora serratella Treitschke, 1833
  • Stagmatophora cinereocapitella Caradja, 1920
  • Stagmatophora sareptensis Walsingham, 1907
  • Phalaena gronoviella Scopoli, 1772 (nomen dubium)
  • Eteobalea gronoviella

The wingspan is 16–18 mm. There is one generation per year.

The larvae feed on Linaria vulgaris. They are off-white with brown heads. They develop through five instars and reach a length of up to 12 mm.[4]

References

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