Zelleria oleastrella, Crete - photo © K. Bormpoudaki
The Family Yponomeutidae (Ermine Moths)
The Family Yponomeutidae
The family Yponomeutidae (Ermine moths)includes several hundred species, most of them in the tropics.
They are small to medium-sized moths with a wingspan of 8-31 mm and are mostly nocturnal and minor pollinators. The wings are long, often with fringes on the trailing edges of the hindwings. Their color is usually white, or pale grey, often with many dark markings; some of the adults are very attractive. The heads mostly have smooth scales and the labial palps are curved upwards. The maxillary palps usually consist of one or two segments. Adult moths at rest roll their wings and look like sticks.
Larvae are also colorful, longitudinally striped with orange, black, and white. The larvae are leaf-webbers, leaf skeletonizers, leafminers, or needleminers and are found on a variety of host plants. Some cause economic damage to crops and trees and are minor pests in agriculture and forestry.
The following species are representative species of the Yponomeutidae moths that have been photographed on the island of Crete. You can obtain more information about each species, by selecting the relative species icon. The list of Yponomeutidae species is nondefinitive.
