Lepidoptera32 species

Family Fairy Moths (Adelidae)

Adelidae is a family in the order Lepidoptera. Browse 32 named species recorded in this family, or open an individual profile for its available identification and natural-history information.

Species in Adelidae (32)

Adela croesella

Wingspan 11 to 14 mm. The males of this species have very long antennae, the females shorter with a thickened base. The moths are on the wing in late May and June, and fly during the day in sunshine, visiting flowers. The larvae are thought to feed a

Adela cuprella

Wingspan about 15 mm. The male has very white, long antennae, hairy black head and gold forewings with a purple edge. The females have much shorter, black antennae and are orange or yellowish on the head. Around willow. Adults tend to spend a lot of

Adela eldorada - Hodges#0226

Adela eldorada

Identification: Adults - more brightly colored, with broader, cream-colored bands than A. trigraphia . Males have some orange scaling on the head A detailed description of A. eldorada and a comparison with A. trigrapha appears on pg 221 of the synops

Adela flammeusella - Hodges#0224

Adela flammeusella

Adela flammeusella is a moth of the family Adelidae or fairy longhorn moths. It was described by Chambers in 1876. It is found from southern Washington south to the foothills and interior valleys of most of cismontane California.

Adela reaumurella

Wingspan 14-18 mm. The males have long, whitish antennae, the females shorter with both sexes having bronzy or metallic greenish forewings. Open areas such as heath, moorland, country gardens, parks and wherever the larval food plants are to be found

Ocean Spray Fairy Moth

Adela septentrionella

Adela septentrionella is a moth of the family Adelidae or fairy longhorn moths. It was described by Walsingham in 1880. It is widespread from southern British Columbia and north-western Idaho to the Transverse Range in southern California.

Adela singulella - Hodges#0220

Adela singulella

Identification: Antenna more than 3x forewing length; forewing narrow, length about 3.4x width, bronzy with complete white transverse band or white along costa at outer 1/3.

Adela thorpella - Hodges#0223

Adela thorpella

Identification: Large-eyed; antennae 2.5 x FW length in males, 1.4 x FW length in females; wings dull, brassy-bronze with a pale fringe and at most a pale band represented by a tornal spot. A detailed description of A. thorpella appears on pg 226 of

Three-striped Longhorn

Adela trigrapha

Adela trigrapha is a moth of the family Adelidae or fairy longhorn moths. It was described by Zeller in 1876. It is found in western North America, from Vancouver Island to California.

Adela violella

Adela violella is a moth of the Adelidae family. It is found in most of Europe, except Ireland, Great Britain, Fennoscandia, the Baltic region, Croatia, Greece and Portugal.

Cauchas dietziella sp. grp. - Hodges#0212

Cauchas dietziella

Cauchas dietziella (Kearfott, 1908) and Cauchas cyanella (Busck, 1915) can be determined only by dissection.

Cauchas fibulella

Wingspan 8 to 11 mm. The smallest of the British Adelinae, with a distinctive pale mark on the centre of the forewing, and often a second, smaller pale blotch nearer the base. Unlike some of its relatives, the antennae of the male are only slightly l

Cauchas rufifrontella

Cauchas rufifrontella is a moth of the Adelidae family. It is found in most of Europe, except Ireland, Great Britain, the Benelux, the Iberian Peninsula, Switzerland, Fennoscandia, the Baltic region, Bulgaria and Ukraine.

Cauchas rufimitrella

Wingspan 9 to12 mm. Another of the longhorn moths, this species can be identified by the combination of the brassy green forewings and what has been described as an orange collar or yellow crown. As with the other moths of the genus, the antennae are

Cauchas sedella - Hodges#0214

Cauchas sedella

Identification: Original description: Incurvaria [now Cauchas] sedella n. sp. Labial palpi yellow with black terminal point and black setae. Antennae bronzy black with white tips. Face and head yellowish white. Thorax dark bronzy brown. Forewings dar

Cauchas simpliciella - Hodges#0216

Cauchas simpliciella

Identification: The original description as Adela simpliciella Walsingham, is available online in the print references below. Forewing dark bronze to bright purplish with orange head. Diurnal

Nematopogon schwarziellus

Wingspan 14 to 17mm. Similar in appearance to the slightly larger Nematopogon swammerdamella. Nematopogon schwarziellus has a hint of a pale discal spot. Occupying woodland, heathland and acid grassland. The adults hatch in May and June, and fly earl

Nematopogon swammerdamella

Wingspan 18-21 mm. The largest of Britain's 'longhorn' moths. Resembles N. schwarziellus , with long white antennae and yellow-orange head tufts, but is larger and has no discal spot. Usually associated with deciduous woodland habitats. The larvae ar

Nemophora bellela - Hodges#0218

Nemophora bellela

Identification: Adults - ochreous with the veins black, reflecting metalic blue on fresh moths; broad, transverse yellow band bordered by metalic blue at the end of the cell. Antenna are thickly scaled with male antenna 1.9 times the forewing length

Nemophora degeerella

Wingspan 16-23 mm. The males of this longhorn moth have extremely long antennae; the females much shorter. Deciduous, often damp, woodland and around well wooded hedgerows and lanes. In May and June, the males can often be seen in groups, 'dancing' i

Horehound Longhorn

Nemophora fasciella

Nemophora fasciella is a moth of the Adelidae family. It is found in most of Europe, except Ireland, Fennoscandia, most of the Baltic region, Croatia, Slovenia, Switzerland and Portugal.

Nemophora metallica

Wingspan 15 to 20 mm. One of the 'longhorn' moths, the male has antennae three times the length of the forewings, the female around half this length. The wings have a relatively plain bronzy sheen. Good photographs required. Please state if found in

Nemophora minimella

Wingspan about 12 mm. A brassy bronze moth. The males have antennae almost twice the wing length; those of the females are just over one wing length. Head in males is black, in female rust coloured. Because of the rarity of this species in our area,

Adela astrella - Hodges#0229.1

Adela astrella

Southern Longhorn Moth

Adela caeruleella

Adela punctiferella - Hodges#0219

Adela punctiferella

Adela purpurea - Hodges#0229

Adela purpurea

Riding's Fairy Moth

Adela ridingsella

Cauchas spinulosa - Hodges#0212.3

Cauchas spinulosa

Cauchas trifascia - Hodges#0217.1

Cauchas trifascia

Cauchas vittata - Hodges#0212.2

Cauchas vittata