Nealyda kinzelella

Nealyda kinzelella is a moth of the Gelechiidae family. It was described by Busck in 1900. It is found in North America, where it has been recorded from Florida.^[1][2]

The wingspan is 5.5-6.5 mm. The basal half of the forewings is light brown, the colour gradually becoming darker outwardly and terminating in a deep velvety brown. There is a transverse fascia at the middle of the wing, on the outside edged with a thin line of white scales. The fascia is more thickly scaled than the rest of the wing and protrudes in a small dorsal scale tooth. The ground colour of the apical half of the wing is silvery white, thickly suffused with black, fuscous and bluish scales. An ill-defined group of dark scales at beginning of cilia is edged below with a few brown scales. Another at the apex also has a few brown scales below. At the tornus is a nearly black spot and the entire apical edge is nearly black. The hindwings are silvery grey.

The larvae feed on Pisonia obtusata. They mine the leaves of their host plant, creating upper surface, trumpet- formed blotch mines. Pupation takes place outside of the mine in a snow white cocoon.

Etymology

The species is named in honour of botanist Mr. F. Kinzel.^[3]

References