Eriocrania unimaculella
Eriocrania unimaculella is a moth of the family Eriocraniidae found in Europe. It was first described by the Swedish naturalist Johan Wilhelm Zetterstedt in 1839. The larvae feed inside the leaves of birch, making a mine.
Description
The wingspan is about 1 cm. The head is fuscous, mixed with ochreous-whitish. The forewings are elongate, bronzy-purple, more or less sprinkled with pale shining golden and there is a narrow slightly curved transverse white dorsal spot before the tornus, reaching about half across the wing; cilia grey Vein 9 is present. The hindwings are grey, posteriorly purplish-tinged. The larva is whitish; head brown, mouth darker, posterior lobes showing through segment 2 as blackish spots; segment 6 with small projections. The moth flies from March to April and is the only one of the Eriocraniidae which does not have the distinct golden mottling and a whitish tornal spot; they have purple forewings.;Ovum
Eggs are laid in the leaf-buds of birch.
;Larva
Larvae can be found in April and May, are whitish with a brown head and have papillae on the first thoracic segment which show as blackish spots. They mine the leaves of birch, forming a large, white, full depth blotch which withers and disintegrate by late summer. The frass is in long threads and the mine can only be identified when the larva can be seen. Mines have been found on silver birch and downy birch.
;Pupa
The larvae overwinter as a pupa in the soil, in a tough silken cocoon.