About Micrurapteryx occulta Braun, 1922
Micrurapteryx occulta is a moth species belonging to the family Gracillariidae. It is recorded across the northern half of North America. In Canada, it is found from the Maritime Provinces (Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia) to British Columbia, and extends north as far as northernmost Yukon. In the United States, it has been documented in Connecticut, Kentucky, Illinois, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and California. Its habitat includes meadows, forest edges, open ponderosa pine forests, alpine meadows, and the sea shore, and likely occurs in other habitats where suitable host plants grow, ranging from sea level to high mountain elevations. The wingspan of this moth ranges from 8.7 to 11.7 mm. The forewing pattern is very similar to that of Micrurapteryx gradatella, and is rather variable across individuals. In many specimens, the dark portion of the disc has scales with pale bases and dark tips, which creates an appearance of pale suffusion. In some specimens, the white dorsal margin is obscured by a suffusion of dark-tipped scales. In specimens that have a white costa and margin, the terminal portion between strigulae 4 and 5, and around the apical spot, is rufous. Darker specimens have forewings with an overall peppery appearance. The larvae of Micrurapteryx occulta feed on Lathyrus japonicus, Melilotus albus, Vicia caroliniana, and species in the genera Lupinus and Caragana. They create mines inside the leaves of their host plants. The mine takes the form of an irregular, somewhat digitate greenish mine that starts over the midrib, where the mine is whitish.
