Bucculatricidae

Pohl, Greg, Anweiler, Gary, Schmidt, Christian & Kondla, Norbert, 2010, An annotated list of the Lepidoptera of Alberta, Canada, ZooKeys 38 (38), pp. 1-549 : 58

15. Bucculatricidae – ribbed-cocoon maker moths

Minute (6–10 mm wingspan) moths with narrow lanceolate wings and an elongate head, which extends beyond the eyes, such that it appears to be almost hypognathous. The first antennal segment may be somewhat enlarged, similar to but not as extensive as the antennal eye cap of the lyonetiids. Larvae are hypermetamorphic. Larvae of most species are leafminers in the first two instars and external skeletonizers in the later instars; a few species are miners of plant stems or galls. Th ey construct distinctive ribbed cocoons; hence the common name.

Approximately 250 species of Bucculatricidae are known worldwide. Th ey are concentrated in the Nearctic, where 103 species are known, all in the genus Bucculatrix . Only two species have been recorded from AB, but more likely occur here. Braun (1963) revised the North American species, and four additional species have been described since then.

63 R Bucculatrix canadensisella Chambers, 1875 E Jun – L Jul – B g Birch Skeletonizer T: Braun (1963), Digweed (1998) L: Bowman (1951), Prentice (1965), Digweed (1998), Pohl et al. (2004b) C: CNC, NFRC, UASM

64 * R Bucculatrix frigida Deschka, 1992 E Aug M – – T: Deschka (1992) L: Deschka (1992) C: Unknown